


Tiny Hands (Hold On to Me)

by taeyongluvr



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Established Relationship, Gen, a yutaewin family fic™, aka the fic no one wanted or asked for
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-04
Updated: 2018-06-05
Packaged: 2018-07-29 09:13:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 34,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7678645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taeyongluvr/pseuds/taeyongluvr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Taeyong and Yuta know Sicheng belongs with them the second they feel his tiny hands in theirs.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> ???? i don't know where this came from, but yutaewin are really _great_  
>  this isn't edited or anything, so there will be a lot of mistakes! don't expect much. :--)

Six months.

It had taken six months for Taeyong and Yuta to complete the adoption process.

The entire experience had been stressful for both of them. Taeyong knew that Yuta was nervous about it, worries about them not being approved or not getting chosen as parents filling his mind right from the beginning. He had taken it as his personal job to make sure that his husband stayed relaxed and kept negative thoughts out of his brain.

Their decision to adopt had been made even before they were married. When they were seven months engaged, Yuta had asked whether they would have children in the future; Taeyong promised they would look into adoption when they felt stable enough to bring a child into their lives. But they were going to do it. It was set it stone: they were going to adopt after they got married.

It had only been one year since they had officially gotten married, but it felt like it had been years. Taeyong had slipped into this normalcy with Yuta so long ago that it was comfortable and it felt like home. It wasn’t awkward between them anymore, that stage of their relationship had come and gone in the first two years they were together. And with no such things as boundaries, Taeyong was definitely not surprised when Yuta said he had called an adoption agency and had already scheduled an interview for the next day.

When he asked Yuta why he did it, the younger man simply responded with, “We’re ready, and I know that _you_ definitely weren’t going to do anything about it.”

Taeyong had gone to the interview, listened to the agency’s director, and let Yuta do all of the talking. “We want an open adoption, and would very much like to communicate with the birth mother or parents throughout. We’re open to domestic adoptions, and international adoptions as well, especially from Japan and South Korea,” Yuta had explained, Taeyong watching him, amused.

It had taken only one interview with the agency for Yuta to be absolutely convinced that this was the place that would represent them. Taeyong really didn’t know how to pick one adoption agency over another, or the differences between them. They all helped people adopt children, so did it really matter? In the long run, it was safe to say that it probably didn’t; the end result would be the same, whether they went with a private or public agency, or adopted independently.

But the agency they had chosen was most likely the best choice for them. The director had listened to all of Yuta’s requests and concerns carefully, and Taeyong felt extremely comfortable around the agency’s employees, which was something important to him.

After they had filled out some basic paperwork and paid a refundable fee, the real work started. Their social worker, whose name was Andrew, was extremely nice to them and helped them through the entire process.

In the six months it took to be approved for adoption, Yuta and Taeyong had gone through Hell and back. It was absolutely exhausting. Andrew had given them fifteen page questionnaires that would serve as a basis for their homestudy and help determine some other things that Taeyong didn’t know about. Both Yuta and him had gone through background, financial, and credit checks, and they had to go through piles of papers to find tax returns and whatnot. They had visited the doctor to get physicals and all sorts of blood tests. Taeyong had to go through a month of CPR and first aid classes (Yuta didn’t, thanks to his job) to get proper certification. Both of them attended two months worth of parenting classes, learning everything from preparing a simple bottle to establishing healthy relationships between parent and child. They had to call their parents in their respective countries to get copies of their birth certificates, and trying to find their marriage certificate was another nightmare in and of itself.

And the homestudy, while nerve-wracking was very comfortable and less stressful than the stories Taeyong read online. Andrew visited their home without notice and quietly observed, watching how they went about their day. The social worker had seen every part of their house, yet he checked each room every time he came. For the most part, Andrew and Taeyong got along. It was like Andrew was one of Taeyong’s friends from university, and not a social worker representing them in their adoption. They talked and told jokes. There were a few interviews that counted as part of the homestudy. Taeyong was pulled aside and asked questions and then Yuta was asked separately. Andrew never told them how they were doing, but during the last homestudy, he told them they were pretty much approved.

The last thing they needed to do was create their adoption profile. It was definitely the easiest bit. Yuta wrote a little about himself, Taeyong wrote a little about himself, and together they wrote a few paragraphs about their families, relationship, and home life. Yuta only laughed a little when Taeyong started the letter part of the profile with _Dear Birth Mother_. Taeyong wrote about Yuta and how fantastic of a parent he would be, and Yuta wrote about Taeyong, but refused to show him, telling him to wait until the profile went up. They collected a good amount of photos—Christmas photos, wedding photos, photos from their visits home in South Korea and Japan, family photos, selfies with their friends, and everything in between—and posted them on their profile. There were also a few videos of them. It really was showing who they were to the birth parents of their future child, and the thought of putting themselves out there so openly was only a little terrifying.

And then it was done. The profile went public and right at the bottom of it read _Verified by Andrew Choi, Adoption Service Provider_. All they had to do now was wait.

 

It was June when Andrew called Taeyong and said they had been chosen as potential parents. He was told that the birth mother was expected to have the baby in the following weeks and Taeyong just about fainted. They had three weeks to prepare _everything_.

Yuta was excited, probably more than Taeyong. Andrew had told them that the birth mother was only a few states over. She was American, and only a few years younger than them, and when Taeyong spoke to her, he felt like she was a good person despite not having met her. Yuta had spoken with her as well and they had discussed the adoption thoroughly. After several lengthy conversations with her, they began preparing to leave.

It was decided that Yuta would leave the week of the expected due date, and Taeyong would leave a few days later since he was unable to get days off work. They purchased plane tickets and reserved a hotel in a panicked frenzy, absolutely overwhelmed by the idea that they’d be parents by the end of June. Andrew had given them all the information of the hospital and told them everything they should expect, before and after the birth of the baby. He also told them that it would be wise to start preparing to bring the baby home.

So Taeyong and Yuta went to the store and bought everything they thought they would need. Taeyong thought it was cute how Yuta was excited about everything, and how the younger walked around the store, looking at all the things they could buy. With every item he picked up and placed in their cart, he told Taeyong how he just couldn’t wait to do something, from _I can’t wait to hold our baby_ to _I can’t wait to kiss them goodnight_.

“We should get this mobile, with the little angels and stars,”  Yuta said, holding said item in his hands. “Isn’t it precious?”

Taeyong felt his heart beat hard against his chest as Yuta smiled, whispering about how he just couldn’t wait to finally be a dad.

The following weeks continued as normal, except now Taeyong looked forward to coming home and working on the nursery with Yuta. They had cleaned out the spare room in their house, and began assembling all the furniture. They decided to keep it simple as they didn’t have much time to actually think about how they wanted the nursery to look like. Yuta had bought some frames and put pictures of him and Taeyong in them, placing them on the shelves. The thought of bringing home their child and having them in the room they had worked hard to decorate only made Taeyong want to cry a little.

When the week of finally came, Yuta left on Monday, kissing Taeyong goodbye and promising to call when he landed. Taeyong left early Thursday morning, and when he arrived, Yuta told him to come to the hospital right away. She had gone into labor earlier than expected and it had been almost twelve hours since the contractions started; the baby would definitely be born before the afternoon.

Taeyong found Yuta waiting in a patient room. It was where they would stay with the baby for a couple days while doctors did check ups and they filled out paperwork. It was dim but Taeyong could see Yuta pacing back and forth, eyes filled with worry.

“Is she okay?” Taeyong asked as soon as he came into the room. He made his way to Yuta and kissed him softly, the younger man relaxing a bit.

He nodded. “She’s fine. I met with her right after I got here on Monday. We went out to lunch and discussed everything once again.”

Taeyong raised his eyebrows. “And?”

Yuta smiled, and the look that overtook his face could only be described as happiness, pure and genuine happiness. Taeyong had never seen this kind of look on Yuta’s face, and it made his heart thump against his rib cage. “I think she’s the one, Taeyong,” he whispered, voice filled with a kind of anticipation that he couldn’t describe. “We’re going to have a baby girl.”

As soon as the words fell from his mouth, Taeyong felt like grabbing Yuta’s face and kissing him until he passed out. Taeyong felt a surge of absolute excitement rush through his body. He felt tears begin to form in his eyes and Yuta became a blurry figure in front of him.

“Don’t cry, you idiot,” Yuta exclaimed when he noticed Taeyong tearing up. He reached out to hit him, but Taeyong grabbed his wrist and pulled the younger man towards him, his body pressed against his. Yuta instinctively wrapped his arms around Taeyong’s waist and placed his chin on his shoulder. “If you cry, I’m going to cry, so stop it ugly.”

Taeyong laughed shakily and wrapped his arms around his husband, enjoying the feeling of holding him. “I’m not crying,” Taeyong whispered, fingers clutching at the back of Yuta’s shirt. “I don’t cry.”

He felt the vibration of Yuta’s laugh against his chest and the sound of it ringing in his ears. “You’re a terrible liar, but I love you anyway.”

They stayed like that for a few seconds before Yuta pulled away, hands wiping at his eyes. He reached over and wiped away the tears that had slipped down Taeyong’s cheek away with his thumbs. Yuta smiled, which made Taeyong smile.

“What should we name her?”

Taeyong’s eyes widened a little at the unexpected question. He looked around the room, thinking. They really hadn’t decided on names. The three times they tried to discuss it, they ended up having petty arguments about whether the name should be Korean or Japanese. Taeyong looked at Yuta, who just stared back expectantly. “We should name her Sora,” Taeyong said quietly, reaching down to grab Yuta’s hands. “And if not, you can choose whatever name you want. I’ll love it either way.”

“I like Sora,” Yuta said, looking down at their joined hands. “Our little Sora.”

“Our little Sora,” Taeyong repeated, a smile forming on his face.

They sat down and begun discussing the tremendous amount of paperwork they needed to fill out afterwards. Halfway through their conversation, a knock at the door made them both turn towards the door. Yuta had said that the nurses would come see them with the baby so they could meet her, but instead Taeyong saw an unfamiliar woman. She definitely didn’t look like a nurse.

“Mr. Lee? Mr. Nakamoto?” she read off a paper. She looked up at them. “If you would follow me.”

Taeyong gave Yuta a confused look that was reciprocated. Regardless, Taeyong stood up, took Yuta’s hand and followed the woman out of the room. A million things were going through Taeyong’s mind. Had something happened to the baby, to the mother? Were they unable to bring her to them?

He could also feel Yuta beginning to worry, so he gave his hand a tight squeeze and pulled him closer, silently reassuring him that it would be okay.

They were led to the cafeteria, where the woman offered to buy them lunch. Taeyong refused, and said they were fine. They sat at a table and waited for her to speak.

“I am Amber Liu,” she said. “I’m the caseworker in charge of Miss Reed and her child.”

Taeyong interrupted her, “Is she okay?”

“Miss Reed and her daughter are fine. The baby was born less than fifteen minutes ago, and is a healthy six pounds and nineteen inches,” the woman, Amber, said.

“When are we able to see her?” Yuta asked, his voice wavering a little.

They all knew that this conversation wasn’t going to be good. And it was confirmed when Amber grimaced slightly at the question. Taeyong felt his heart drop down to his feet. “Unfortunately, Mr. Nakamoto, she has requested that you not see her daughter,” she told them. “Miss Reed came to the decision that she would like to parent.”

Taeyong placed his hand on top of Yuta’s thigh under the table, silently comforting him. Yuta’s hand immediately came on top of his, fingers wrapping around Taeyong’s hand. “So, we’re… _not_ going to be parents?” Yuta asked, voice breaking at the word ‘not.’

Taeyong’s mind went blank. He felt dizzy when Amber nodded. She continued talking but Taeyong couldn’t register a word she said. Something about paperwork, an apology for making them fly out here, then a sad look towards Taeyong.

“I sincerely apologize on behalf of Miss Reed for the time and money you’ve spent coming here,” she said. “I will reach a settlement with Miss Reed and your caseworker to repay part of the expenses.”

Amber stood up, giving them a pitiful look. She apologized once more and walked away, disappearing down the hall.

“Sora,” Yuta whispered shakily after a minute. “She’s not coming home with us.”

Taeyong felt a pain strike at his chest after hearing the words fall from Yuta’s mouth. He couldn’t understand, he couldn’t believe it. He wasn’t angry at the birth mother for deciding to keep her, he was just upset. There was no way to describe what he was feeling. He felt _empty_.

He didn’t know how long he sat there with Yuta. It could have been seconds, it could have been minutes, or an entire hour. Taeyong didn’t know, nor did he care. The baby they prepared to bring home was staying here. Taeyong would not get to bring her into the nursery that he and Yuta decorated. Yuta would not get to hold the baby, or kiss her goodnight. Because the baby wasn’t theirs.

“We should get our things and leave,” Yuta said solemnly. His eyes were red and puffy, and his voice hoarse, but Taeyong couldn’t remember hearing Yuta cry from beside him. “Our tickets are flexible so we can get on the next flight back home.”

“Yeah,” was all Taeyong could say.

 

When they arrived home, Yuta and Taeyong sat down to talk about it. Yuta suggested that they withdraw their profile for the time being while they recovered. Taeyong called Andrew the next day and told him. Andrew said it was okay, and that once they were ready to make it public again, he would be right there to help them.

It was disappointing to come home as a family of two. Johnny had called him shortly after they landed and asked if he and Ten could visit, as they had bought baby gifts while they were away. Taeyong had to tell him that the adoption failed, and Johnny could only apologize and express his sympathy for the couple.

“But don’t worry, Taeyong. There’s a kid waiting for you somewhere, you’ll find them soon,” was what Johnny told him.

At first Taeyong just ignored the comment, but he couldn’t help but feel that Johnny was right in some way. Maybe they weren’t supposed to take that baby girl home that day. Taeyong really didn’t believe in things like fate, but after hearing what Johnny said, he couldn’t help but wonder. What if their child _was_ waiting for them to find him or her? The thought of it gave Taeyong some kind of strength.

By September, Yuta felt ready to go back in. Taeyong also felt like they were prepared to jump back into the swing of things. They had reached an agreement with Amber and Miss Reed shortly after they came back, and a majority of the monetary expenses were covered through there. Taeyong had his twenty-sixth birthday party on the first of July, and it was nice to just have fun with their friends without having to worry about filling out paperwork or getting ‘the call’ from the agency. Yuta focused on his work and Taeyong on his, their minds void of any and all thoughts about children. They just needed to relax a little and have time to themselves.

But when Andrew called them not even forty eight hours after they reinstated their profile, Taeyong felt all that excitement and worry seep back into his bones.

They had been chosen as potential parents by a birth mother who was almost an entire decade younger than him. “But, it’s an international adoption,” Andrew said, and Taeyong could feel the warning look he was getting through the phone. “She’s Chinese.”

“ _Chinese?_ ” Taeyong asked, surprised. He brought his hand to massage his temple with his fingers. “We’re going to have to go to China? That’s going to cost a fortune, Andrew.”

There was a moment of silence before: “It is going to cost you absolutely nothing.” Taeyong listened closely for any sign of it being a joke, but Andrew sounded completely serious.

“What do you mean it’s gonna cost nothing?”

“The birth mother and her family are willing to pay any and all expenses to get you to China, from plane tickets to hotel and food.” Pause. “She is absolutely serious about you guys. She is not going to change her mind easily.”

“When can we speak with her?” Taeyong asked carefully.

“Time zones are a problem, so it’ll be hard to speak with her. We also need a translator for you to communicate. But I’ll talk to her caseworker and get back to you.”

When Taeyong got off the phone with Andrew, he sent a text to Yuta, telling him the news with about seven exclamation points and a smiling emoji. Yuta replied with several exclamation points and a crying emoji.

Yuta came home from the store fifteen minutes later and jumped onto Taeyong, a big smile on his face, groceries forgotten. “This is our baby,” Yuta told him, eyes sparkling, “I feel it.”

Something inside Taeyong told him Yuta was right. This was what they were waiting for.

 

It was almost midnight, but in China, it was only two in the afternoon. Yuta and Taeyong sat on their couch, Taeyong’s laptop on the coffee table in front of them. It had been decided that they would be able to speak to the birth mother through video calling, with a translator present. The first meeting would be at midnight, or three in the afternoon in China.

“She lives in Zhejiang?” Yuta asked, playing with Taeyong’s fingers. “Where is that in relation to the bigger cities?”

Taeyong shrugged. “Have no clue. You know I’m not good at geography.”

“You’re dumb.”

“You love me.”

Yuta sighed. “Unfortunately.”

Before Taeyong could come up with a snarky remark, the sound of the Skype call notification filled the living room. Yuta reached over to answer it, and after a few seconds, the screen showed a grainy image of two women sitting next to each other. It was obvious which one was the birth mother.

Taeyong could see that she was far into the pregnancy, her belly large and round. He looked at her face. She was young, and it was evident. She was small, innocent-looking, and almost child-like just by glancing at her face. She looked tense, with wide eyes and stiff posture. Taeyong was really hoping that this worked out because he didn’t know if he would be able to deal with another failed adoption.

“Hello,” the woman beside her said. “I’m the translator.”

The girl tugged on the translator’s sleeve and said something in Chinese. Yuta leaned in to listen, even though he had no clue what she was saying.

“This is Yifei,” the translator said. “She is sixteen years old. She is currently seven and a half months pregnant.”

Yuta smiled at the screen, waving. “I’m Yuta,” he said. He motioned to Taeyong. “This is my husband, Taeyong.”

Taeyong waved as the translator told Yifei what they had said.

“Yu–ta?” Yifei asked, all the tension almost immediately disappearing from her body. She smiled when Yuta nodded his head. She looked at Taeyong through the screen. “Tae–yong?”

He nodded and Yifei smiled even bigger. She said something excitedly and clapped her hands together, a laugh escaping her lips.

“I am very excited to finally meet you,” the translator said, directly quoting Yifei, “I’ve been looking forward to this meeting. You look good together. It’s why I chose you, if I’m being honest. Both of you looked very happy in your photos, and I want the boy I’m carrying to live a happy life.”

“Boy?” Yuta asked. He looked at the screen, wide eyes focused on the young girl. “You’re having a boy? Can I ask when the due date is?”

There was a moment of translating before Yifei answered and translator spoke. “Yes! I am having a boy. He’s due at the end of October!”

“Oh my God, Taeyong,” Yuta murmured, turning to look at him. “He’s going to be born next month. What if he’s born on my birthday?”

Taeyong smiled and reached out to grab Yuta’s hand. “Let’s hope.”

 

Taeyong and Yuta spoke with Yifei every other night. They talked about how they were going to go about the adoption. Yifei told them she would prefer that they both be in China when she went into labor, and promised that her family would pay for their plane tickets. When Taeyong said that he would buy the tickets himself, Yifei persisted and bought the tickets before Taeyong could even think about it. They were going to leave one week before the expected due date of October 25th (Yuta was pushing for the baby to be born October 26) and stay in China until the first of November, as they would be flooded with paperwork after the baby was born.

In the meantime, Taeyong, along with Johnny and Hansol, begun fixing up the nursery for the second time that year. Taeyong and Yuta had already purchased all the furniture from the first time in June. All that really needed to be done was paint the room and redecorate a little. The room was done within a week. The walls were a light green (as per Hansol’s suggestion), furnished with the white furniture, and Taeyong could tell that Johnny and Hansol were pleased with the outcome. Taeyong loved it, too. It was bright and clean, decorated with pieces of him and Yuta.

While Taeyong took charge of the nursery, Yuta took care of pretty much everything else. He did all the shopping that needed to be done; he bought new blankets and clothes, a car seat and stroller, and a few decorations that would match the new nursery. He, along with Ten, made sure they had the basic necessities in their home, like formula and diapers. Apart from that, Yuta made sure that Doyoung and Jaehyun were able to come get their mail and water the few plants they had around the house while they were gone. Then he took care of both his shifts at the hospital and Taeyong’s hours at the company.

On the day of their flight, Yifei decided that she wanted to talk to them before they left. It was early morning for them, but Yifei would be going to bed soon. She looked especially tense this time, and Taeyong wondered what she wanted to talk about.

“I know I should’ve mentioned this before, but I have a request.”

Taeyong looked at the young girl curiously. A request? “What is it?”

Yifei paused and looked at them with wide eyes. Taeyong felt himself getting anxious. Was she going to back out? She said something, and the translator’s eyes widened a little in surprise. _Oh no._

The translator cleared her throat. “Yifei says the only request she has is that you let her name him.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuta's nervous to meet Sicheng, and even though he's running on seven hours of sleep, it's all worth it when Sicheng's in his arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's literally, like, 2:56 am as i'm writing this note.  
> ok, so i listened to beyonce's **blue ******while writing this, and it kinda shows at the end. oops.  
>  yutae finally meet sicheng !!! it's not emotional or anything, i'm not good at writing emotional things so i'm sorry, but i tried. i hope there aren't any mistakes as i'm posting this on a whim!

Yuta couldn’t even begin to describe what he was feeling that entire morning.

The second he woke up and remembered he would be on a plane to visit the birth mother of his child, a feeling of absolute joy overcame him. It was so unlike anything he had ever felt before. It was a fluttering feeling that started deep in his stomach and spread to the rest of his body. He had felt something similar the day Taeyong proposed to him, and the day of their wedding, but this feeling was different somehow.

Taeyong was also noticeably happier. Yuta knew that Taeyong preferred to hide how vulnerable he could be, but it seemed like those walls had been broken down, even if just for a day. He was unguarded, and open. Yuta felt his heart swell when Taeyong smiled at him, the words “ _We’re going to be dads soon_ ” falling from his lips.

But no matter how excited and ready to go they were, they still needed to make some last minute preparations.

Yuta was in charge of buying a present for Yifei. Taeyong and him had decided that the best way to thank the young girl for giving them her child was to give her something she would enjoy. They had figured out a little about Yifei and what she liked, so Yuta had no trouble going to the store and buying some of her favorite American candy along with a set of fragrances from a brand Yifei expressed her liking of. Yuta felt like candy and perfume was hardly enough to thank Yifei for everything she’d done for them, but there wasn’t much he or Taeyong could do.

When he got home, Taeyong was cleaning around the house and checking the locks on the windows and doors. He hadn’t noticed Yuta, too absorbed in what he was doing, which was typical. Yuta decided to let Taeyong finish his cleaning and instead went into the kitchen.

It was clean, their dishes from breakfast already in the dishwasher, indicating that Taeyong had already been in there. Yuta checked the fridge and made sure that they didn’t have any food that would spoil while they were away. When he figured there wasn’t anything that needed to be disposed of, he made his way back into the living room.

He grabbed a pen and piece of blank paper to write a note for Doyoung and Jaehyun. He had already talked to them about where their mail went and where all the plants that needed watering were, but it couldn’t hurt to remind them and add a few side notes, like the password to the security system and that they could help themselves to whatever food they had in the fridge. He signed the note with his name and placed it on the entryway table, right by the key bowl so they would see it right away when they came the next day.

“Yuta!” Taeyong called. “Where are you?”

Yuta turned around and looked into the living room, where Taeyong stood, his back to him. “I’m coming,” he said, walking towards the older man.

“Are you ready to go?” Taeyong asked, turning around and immediately reaching out to grab Yuta by the shoulders and press his lips to his cheek. “I double checked the luggage, and I put Yifei’s gifts in my suitcase a few minutes ago.”

Yuta hummed. “I don’t think I’m missing anything,” he said. “Should we go now? I know it’s almost nine and our flight is at one, but you know how stressful it is to get through security.”

Taeyong didn’t say anything, only smiled at him like a fool. Yuta rolled his eyes and hit Taeyong’s shoulder. He turned around and made his way upstairs to get the luggage, but was surprised to find that the suitcases weren’t in their room.

“They’re in the car already!” Taeyong’s voice sounded from downstairs.

Yuta frowned. “That idiot, no wonder he was smiling like that,” he murmured to himself. He sighed and checked their bedroom once more, making sure everything was in place and that there was nothing that could potentially burn or destroy their house.

He made his way out but stopped in front of the door beside their bedroom. Had Taeyong checked the nursery already?

Yuta opened the door and made his way inside. It was clean from top to bottom, and the bag that he and Taeyong packed beforehand was gone, which meant that Taeyong had taken it. Yuta looked around the room, and felt his heart begin to race in his chest.

Taeyong, Johnny, and Hansol had done a spectacular job fixing the nursery, from painting to placing all the furniture and decorations. When Yuta first saw the newly re-done nursery, he burst out into tears. His outburst had worried Hansol, who quickly apologized for suggesting they paint the room green. Yuta had only waved him off, saying that the green paint wasn’t what made him cry. He didn’t know why he started crying, really. It had been overwhelming, seeing the finished nursery, knowing that the room would soon be occupied with _their son_.

“Yuta, let’s go!” Taeyong called. “I got the diaper bag and the car seat is in its place!”

Yuta glanced once more at the room and made his way out, closing the door behind him. He made his way downstairs and found Taeyong waiting at the bottom of the staircase, arm outstretched and hand waiting for Yuta to take it.

He grabbed Taeyong’s hand, a smile forming on the latter’s face. Taeyong pulled him through the living room and stopped at the entrance of the house. He turned to look at Yuta.

“You got everything?”

Yuta grabbed his car keys and house keys from the key bowl. He ran through the mental checklist in his head, and when everything on it was crossed off, he nodded. “Yep.”

Taeyong let go of his hand and turned to the security pad placed by the front door. Yuta walked around him and opened the front door, stepping onto the porch and looking back at Taeyong, who pushed a couple buttons before hitting the one with the small lock drawn on it.

“Okay, let’s go,” he said, exiting the house and shutting the door behind them.

 

The fifteen hour flight to Zhejiang was boring and uneventful, as most flights were. Through the entire thing, Yuta sat in his seat, impatient, restless. Taeyong, on the other hand, had fallen asleep after within the first four hours, and hadn’t woken up until they were an hour away from their destination.

Yifei’s older brother, caseworker, and translator were waiting at the airport when they arrived, Yifei’s older brother holding a sign that read ‘Welcome 中本悠太 & 이태용’ in poor handwriting. Yuta thought it was a little ridiculous, but regardless, he greeted the guy with a friendly smile. He said something to both of them, and the translator had told them that Yifei’s brother was sincerely sorry about the sign, which only made Yuta laugh.

It was only the twenty-third of October, so there was still a few days until the expected due date. After a swift meeting with Yifei’s caseworker, Yuta and Taeyong were allowed to go to the hotel and settle in. They were told that Yifei would meet with them tomorrow and then they could go sight seeing if they wanted to. For now, all they had to do was get comfortable and catch up with the time.

The hotel they were staying at was extremely nice, and when Taeyong had reserved their room and told them why they were there, the woman promised they would accommodate it for them. It was a large room, larger than the average hotel room. There was a small kitchen area with a table and two chairs, a large king bed, and against one wall was a small crib with a complimentary stuffed animal. Yuta hadn’t known what to expect when they said they would ‘accommodate’ the room, but was extremely grateful the hotel staff had gave them a room with a crib.

Unfortunately, Yuta was unable to fully enjoy the room and all of its fun features, as he passed out as soon as he laid down on the hotel bed. He hadn’t slept on the plane and while it was only ten in the morning, it was seven in the evening back home. His mind told him to sleep, and it wasn’t until eleven that he woke up again. It was dark and he had somehow slipped under the blankets. It was impossible trying to go back to sleep because his mind was still on its normal schedule. Taeyong was sleeping beside him however, arms wrapped around Yuta’s waist loosely. The older man only tightened his arms around Yuta when he tried to get up.

So Yuta stayed there, eyes locked on the ceiling, thinking.

He was in China, and in the next few days, he and Taeyong would have a son to call their own. The thought itself was almost unfathomable. When he was twenty two, he had been looking forward to spending the rest of his life with Taeyong; and now that he was days away from turning twenty-six, he could anticipate _living_ the rest of his life to care, love, and protect another life.

He wondered if the little boy would look like Yifei: small and innocent, delicate and sweet. Yifei, though sixteen, was extremely sweet and kind and had a child-like excitement Yuta couldn't help but admire. Yuta wanted nothing more than their son to be just like her.

He didn’t know how long it had been since he woke up but he fell back asleep, dreaming of holding a small child in his arms.

 

It was October twenty-seventh and three in the morning when Taeyong’s phone began ringing loudly. Yuta groaned, nudging Taeyong in the abdomen, mumbling to answer the phone. Taeyong just grunted in response and turned away from Yuta, who then sighed and sat up in the bed. He yawned and rubbed at his eyes before reaching over Taeyong to grab the cellphone on the bedside table. Taeyong made a noise of disapproval as Yuta draped his body over his sleeping figure, Yuta hit his husband’s chest as he pulled himself back up, muttering an incoherent insult towards the man. With one eye open, he answered the call and placed the phone to his ear.

“Hello?” he murmured, another yawn escaping his mouth. He closed his eyes, feeling himself beginning to go back to sleep as he waited for the other person to say something.

There was no reply, and Yuta almost hung up, thinking it was a prank call of sorts. It was three in the morning, and he was tired after walking around the entire day, he didn’t deserve this.

“Is this Mr. Nakamoto?” a voice asked right before he hit the end button.

Yuta immediately opened his eyes wide, recognizing the voice of Yifei’s caseworker, Xiangyu. “Yes, yes. It’s me,” he said, the sleepiness disappearing from his body.

“Mr. Nakamoto, I am calling to inform you that Yifei has gone into early labor,” the man said. Before Yuta could say anything else, he told him something else: “You do not have to worry about coming to the hospital right now. Early labor can take several hours. Yifei requested that I let you know the situation as it progresses. Right now, she is still in her home and is doing fine. I will call again when it’s time for you to come to the hospital.”

Yuta blinked, staring straight into the dark room. “Okay,” he said after a moment. He shook his head as if it would clear the thousands of thoughts running through his mind. “Okay,” he repeated, more awake and alert, “Yes, thank you so much.”

Xiangyu told him to rest, promised to call him later, and then hung up.

Yuta held the phone against his ear for a few more seconds before he dropped his arm, the cell phone falling out of his hand and onto the bed.

He felt Taeyong nudge him with his leg. “Baby, you alright?” Taeyong sounded sleepy. The sound of the sheets being moved indicated that Taeyong was sitting up, and sure enough Yuta felt strong arms wrap around his waist from behind and Taeyong lay his head on his back. “Yuta?”

“Yifei is going to have the baby,” he said quietly, inhaling deeply.

Taeyong didn’t say anything, but the arms around Yuta’s waist disappeared and Taeyong moved away from him. “What?”

Yuta turned to look at him. “She went into labor.”

It was no use trying to sleep after that. After an hour of tossing and turning, Yuta got up and went into the bathroom of the hotel room. When he looked at himself in the mirror, he noticed that looked tired, which he mostly blamed on Taeyong. He had planned an entire day out for Yuta’s birthday, and they had spent hours walking around Hangzhou, buying things and visiting landmarks of all sorts. They had come back to the hotel at eleven and fallen asleep right away. Yuta had only slept for four hours.

He washed his face, the cold water making him snapping him back into his senses. He could hear Taeyong unzipping a suitcase in the room, most likely trying to find the gifts that Yuta had purchased for Yifei. They would need to find a store later in the day that sold flowers so they could present them with a thank you note and the gifts.

Yuta knew that they probably wouldn’t have to go to the hospital until the afternoon, of maybe even the evening, but that didn’t stop him from feeling nervous. Although Xiangyu said Yifei was fine and she was at home, Yuta couldn’t help but feel anxious of what would happen in the next twenty-four hours.

When Yuta went back into the room, Taeyong had turned on the television. An early morning show that he couldn’t understand was playing, the host speaking quickly. Taeyong sat on the bed and stared at the television, but Yuta knew that he really wasn’t watching the show. He hated listening to things he couldn’t understand (which was part of the reason he didn’t like when Yuta spoke in Japanese to his parents; Taeyong’s Japanese skills were at a basic, conversational level, at most).

“Taeyong,” he called out from his spot by the bathroom.

Taeyong looked at him, the faintest of frowns etched on his face. “What?”

Yuta smiled softly. “It’ll be alright.”

 

The next call came at nine o’clock.

Taeyong was in the shower and Yuta was finishing up the gift basket they had decided to give to Yifei. They had gone out earlier in the day and bought more things to give to Yifei: a small stuffed animal, a pair of earrings with a matching necklace, a few more snacks. They had found a store that sold all sorts of gift wrap and bags, but they had been drawn to the baskets. They had bought one along with a bow, some tissue paper, clear wrap, and filler. Yuta claimed that he could easily make a gift basket. The sad truth was that he couldn’t, and even after looking at a fifteen minute YouTube tutorial, he only managed to make a slightly disappointing excuse of a gift basket.

He was so startled when the phone rang that he almost knocked over the basket. He barely managed to grab it and set it back on the table before he grabbed his cellphone.

“Hello? Mr. Nakamoto?”

“Are we able to go to the hospital now?” Yuta asked immediately, deciding not to waste any time.

“Yes,” was the only answer he got.

He exchanged a few more words with Xiangyu before hanging up and telling Taeyong to hurry. While Taeyong finished showering, Yuta grabbed their hotel key and phones. He set the gift basket by the door and then went to get the diaper bag that was packed with everything they would need at the hospital.

It only took them thirty minutes to get from the hotel to the hospital and even then, Yifei’s parents and brother were still in the waiting room, anxious looks on their faces. Yifei’s brother was speaking to them, but Yuta couldn’t understand more than a few words of what he was saying.

Nurses came up to them and, in broken Korean, asked if they were the parents who were there for the adoption. When Taeyong said yes, they were told to follow another nurse to the room they would wait in. Yuta left the gift basket with Yifei’s family, bowing and thanking them in Chinese, before he was pulled into the hallway by Taeyong.

They were led to an empty patient room. There was a bed and a few chairs scattered around. Yuta set the bag on the bed and sat in a chair. Taeyong was talking to the nurses, trying his best to understand them. After a few minutes, Taeyong came and sat beside him, dropping his head onto the back of the chair, eyes closing.

Taeyong’s hand fell onto Yuta’s lap and Yuta grabbed it, feeling Taeyong squeeze his hand. It comforted Yuta, all the nervousness he had felt the entire day disappearing.

“She’s almost done,” Taeyong said quietly. “She has about two or three hours left.”

Yuta didn’t say anything.

“I told the nurses that we didn’t have to see him right away,” Taeyong said quietly. “He’s going to stay with Yifei for a little while, so she can get to hold him.”

“I’m sure she’ll appreciate that.”

 

“Mr. Lee? Mr. Nakamoto?”

Yuta felt someone shaking him. He opened his eyes slowly and was met Xiangyu’s gaze. He sat up in the chair and reached over to wake Taeyong up. He didn’t remember falling asleep, or when he fell asleep. It couldn’t have been more than a few hours. His sleeping schedule had been out of it the entire week. He had only sleep for four hours the night before, and while he was excited to meet his son, his mind and body definitely weren’t.

“Mr. Lee, Mr. Nakamoto, the baby has been born,” Xiangyu said quietly.

Taeyong finally sat up. He rubbed at his eyes, yawning. After Yuta processed what Xiangyu had said, he looked at him waiting for some elaboration.

“He’s healthy. He was born at one fifty-three, twenty four minutes ago. He’s seven pounds, thirteen ounces, and twenty-one inches.”

Yuta felt his mind and body relax at the news that he had been born healthy.

“It’s almost two-twenty,” Xiangyu said after a moment. “Yifei held him and feed him after they cleaned him up. She wants you to meet your son now.”

Yuta scrambled to stand up, Taeyong following, their hands finding each other. Yuta had slept for three hours, and while his body begged him to rest, he couldn’t. In the last forty-eight hours he had slept for a total of seven hours, but the thought of meeting his son was enough to keep him awake. Xiangyu turned and looked at the open door. Yuta looked around him, trying to see what was happening.

They heard him before they saw him. Yuta held his breath as the sound of crying filled the hallway and then the room. A nurse wheeled in a small bassinet, a smile on her face. Taeyong’s grip around Yuta’s hand tightened, and Yuta felt his heart beat hard against his chest. His eyes widened as he spotted a small baby wrapped in several hospital blankets. The baby was red-faced with his little hands balled into fists by his head, eyes squeezed shut as he wailed, mouth open wide.

“Oh my God,” Yuta heard Taeyong whisper. “Oh...my God, look at him.”

The nurse rolled the bassinet towards them and they got a closer look at the baby’s face, all of his features showing his distress. He cried loudly, the sound piercing the air. Yuta really couldn’t describe what he was feeling, looking at the baby; his son,  _their_ son. He wanted to calm down the crying child, make sure he was quiet and calm, make sure he was happy and felt no pain.

Yuta placed a hand on top of his mouth, feeling a sob making its way up. There were tears forming in his eyes and a lump in his throat. His chest tightened, and it hurt. It was indescribable. The sheer joy that overcame him was enough to last him a lifetime. He never fully understood why parents cried after seeing their child for the first time, but experiencing it, he now knew that there was no other way to express the emotions he was feeling. It was the most wonderful thing he felt in his entire life.

“He’s been crying the entire time. Yifei couldn’t calm him down,” the nurse said quietly as she began moving the blankets so that they could see him better. “We were thinking he would calm down after being fed, but he didn’t. We were hoping you could calm him down.”

Yuta inhaled sharply at her words. They were hoping that he and Taeyong could calm the crying baby? Yuta continuing looking at the crying baby, too afraid and not quite prepared to pick him up just yet. It was absolutely overwhelming. All he could do was hold back his sobs and tears that filled his eyes.

His little body was swaddled in a thin hospital blanket, only his face and hands visible. He was  _so_ _small_ , and Yuta didn’t know it was possible to feel such immense love and adoration to a person he had never met before. Yet, as he looked at the baby, he knew that he loved him with every single bone in his body, and every fiber of his being. It was unbelievable how much he loved him already. The thought that this baby was theirs to love, to take care of, to protect for the rest of their lives made him feel extremely dizzy, in the best way.

“Can we hold him?” Taeyong’s voice wavered and when Yuta looked at him, his eyes were also filled with tears and his cheeks were flushed a deep pink.

The nurse nodded and motioned for him to pick him up. Taeyong let go of Yuta’s hand and reached into the bassinet with shaky hands. He gently slid one hand under the baby’s neck and the other under his bottom, before lifting up the small body. He placed him close to his chest, cradling the baby. The baby in his arms quieted down as soon as he was snuggled against Taeyong, his cries dying down to nothing. Taeyong looked down at him in awe.

“Oh my God, Yuta, look at him,” Taeyong cried quietly. He inhaled, and exhaled slowly. “Look at him. He’s breathtaking.”

Yuta leaned into Taeyong, placing a hand on the older man’s lower back. The baby had his eyes closed, and a calm expression on his face. His heart fluttered at the sight. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his life.

“His name is Sicheng,” Xiangyu said after a moment.

Yuta looked up at the caseworker with teary eyes. “Sicheng,” he murmured. He looked back down at the small boy. Yuta smiled, the tears finally falling and sliding down his cheeks. He took a deep breath before shakily whispering, “He’s perfect.”

Yuta looked at their baby— _Sicheng_ —and raised a shaky hand, bringing it to his face. His hand hovered over his small head. He was wearing one of the small caps the hospital provided, but Yuta could see the little wisps of brown hair sticking out from underneath it. He then carefully nudged Sicheng’s small hand with his index finger, which made him whine. Yuta held his breath for a second. He nudged Sicheng’s hand again, smiling widely when he whined again, little mouth coming down into a small frown, like he wanted to cry. Yuta laughed and Sicheng relaxed, going back to the peaceful expression he had previously.

“Here, baby,” Taeyong said, “Sit down so you can hold him.”

Yuta wiped the tears away and sat back down, hands wrapped around the arms of the chair tightly. His entire body felt like jelly, and he was nervous to hold Sicheng. It would be the first time holding him in his arms. The moment he had been looking forward to was finally here. He could barely remember anything for the classes they had taken about holding newborns, but when Taeyong placed Sicheng against Yuta’s chest, his hands automatically went to where they were supposed to, supporting the back of the head, the neck, and spine, and his bottom.

“Don’t cry, baby,” Taeyong murmured, bringing his hands up to Yuta’s face and wiping away the tears that began to slip down his cheeks. “There’s no need to cry.”

Yuta looked down at Sicheng, who was sleeping soundly in his arms. There was no way he couldn’t cry. “I’m just so happy.” Yuta’s voice was hoarse and it cracked when he said the sentence, and when he laughed it came out shaky and sounded more like a sob. “I’m just so happy that he’s finally here with us.”

Taeyong sat in the seat to Yuta’s right and placed his head on his shoulder, looking down at Sicheng. One of Taeyong hands reached up to grab Sicheng’s small balled up fist, his fingers carefully opening the little fist. Sicheng wrapped his short fingers around Taeyong’s index finger, and Taeyong smiled, murmuring about how cute and adorable Sicheng already was.

Yuta moved his arms so he was cradling Sicheng securely on his left arm and used his right hand to grab Sicheng’s other hand. He carefully opened Sicheng’s little fist with his fingers like Taeyong had. Sicheng also closed his fingers around Yuta’s finger, making him chuckle. The tears on his face were beginning to dry, and his eyes were stinging after having cried, but he could care less about that. He probably looked like a mess, sleep deprived and emotional, but he didn’t mind. Just as long as Sicheng was in his arms.

Taeyong looked down at their son, his expression soft. “Look at his little hands, he’s holding on so tightly,” Taeyong whispered in awe. His voice was quiet, careful not to wake Sicheng. “I think he knows we’re his dads. Don’t you think so?”

Taeyong looked at Yuta and grinned like the absolute fool he was. Yuta rolled his eyes but still smiled at his words. “Maybe he does,” he replied, knowing that it would make Taeyong happy.

“Sicheng-ah,” Taeyong murmured, turning back to the sleeping baby. “I’m your dad, your _appa_ ,” he said, emphasizing the Korean word. “And the person holding you is your other dad, your _tou-chan_.”

“Hey,” Yuta said warningly, glaring at Taeyong. “He’s not going to call me _tou-chan_. Where did you even learn that word?”

“ _Tou-chan, tou-chan, tou-chan_ ,” Taeyong mocked, sticking out his tongue. Taeyong looked down at Sicheng. “You’re going to call him _tou-chan_ , right Sicheng?”

Sicheng made a small noise and squirmed in Yuta’s arms, as if answering Taeyong’s question, which made Taeyong grin. Yuta rolled his eyes. He would never admit it, especially not to Taeyong, but if Sicheng ever did call Yuta _tou-chan_ , he would probably cry.

Taeyong leaned down and pressed his lips to the crown of Sicheng’s head. Sicheng’s features scrunched up, obviously not liking the disturbance. Taeyong chuckled, pressing another kiss to Sicheng’s head. Yuta felt Sicheng tighten his grip on his index finger, his face showing signs of wanting to cry. Yuta knew that the baby was going to wake up and cry if Taeyong kissed him again.

“Hold on to me, Sicheng,” he heard Taeyong whisper against the fabric of Sicheng’s little cap. It was so soft that Yuta wouldn’t have heard it if he wasn’t paying attention. “Hold on to Papa. We promise we won’t let you go. You’re home now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ty's feelings on meeting sicheng will be described in the next part. did anyone like it? i haven't read through what i wrote, and i'll probably be like "why???" later today when i review it. i don't know when the next part is coming up, but hopefully it's better than this, and is posted at a decent time, aka not like 3am. :-)  
> \--  
> THANK YOU FOR THE COMMENTS AND KUDOS, A FEW OF YOU EVEN BOOKMARKED? i honestly didn't expect this to get read at all? thank you, thank you! please tell me if this is actually good, i love feedback. thank you again!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taeyong finally feels complete.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i rewrote this part four times, and i'm still not satisfied with it. something about it feels _off_. i don't know. i hope it's alright :/

Taeyong knew that Yifei would have kept Sicheng if the circumstances were different, but she couldn’t. She had given Sicheng to them with his best interest in mind, and Taeyong couldn’t have felt more thankful or blessed for that. She was allowing them to raise Sicheng the way she believed was best for him, and Taeyong swore that he would tell Sicheng how much his birth mother loved him when he was old enough to understand.

But for now, Taeyong could only think about telling Sicheng how much he loved him.

Meeting Sicheng had been overwhelming. Taeyong was terrified of holding him for the first time, his palms sweaty and hands shaking, tears in his eyes. But the moment that Sicheng was in his arms, it was like a wave of calmness hit him, and his racing heart slowed down. It was unlike anything he had ever felt. Holding Sicheng for the first time couldn’t be described to anything; it was absolutely wonderful, to have his son in his arms. It felt like _home_ , and Taeyong could only remember thinking, _oh my God, Johnny’s right_ , because it was Sicheng, and only Sicheng.

It was Sicheng that had been waiting for them. And when Taeyong held him, it felt like Sicheng was home, where he belonged. He was quiet and calm, sleeping in his arms.

Seeing Yuta hold Sicheng was another thing entirely.

Yuta and Taeyong had met nearly eight years ago, and if he was honest, Taeyong could hardly remember the butterfly feelings he felt or the shy looks towards each other, or even the way his heart almost beat out of his chest every time Yuta smiled at him.  

Yet seeing Sicheng in Yuta’s arms was nothing like the first time they met, or their first date, or even their wedding day; it was a feeling that Taeyong didn’t think he could even feel. The family he never thought he would have was right before his eyes, and being able to see _his husband_ smile down at _their son_ —the only way to describe the way Taeyong felt was complete.

He felt complete.

Taeyong’s heart beat steady in his chest when he looked at Yuta and Sicheng, the words “I love you” falling from his lips.

 

They were able to leave the hospital two days after Sicheng was born. Taeyong filled out the paperwork while Yuta got Sicheng ready to go, dressing him in a warm onesie and matching cap they had packed. The little outfit was decorated with little bears, and Taeyong couldn’t help but coo at Sicheng, who only looked back at him with wide eyes. “ _Aigoo_ ,” Taeyong had murmured, fixing the little cap on his head, “You’re so cute, Sicheng.”

The rest of the week went without a hitch. They visited the hospital for one last check up, and then went to finish filling out the last adoption papers. Yifei accompanied them, and congratulated them when it was all done. They prepared Sicheng’s passport and visa, which would let him fly home with them, and then bought three—not two—plane tickets back. Their flight was on the tenth of November, which was a lot later than they expected, but regardless, Taeyong was happy to be going back home.

They said goodbye to Yifei and thanked her the day before their flight, promising to keep their word. Yifei had requested that they allow her to send Sicheng gifts and asked that they send her photographs of Sicheng, which was no problem; Taeyong and Yuta gladly agreed to her requests. It was the least they could do for her.

The fifteen hour plane ride itself was a nightmare. Sicheng stayed quiet the first few hours, happily sucking on the pacifier Yuta gave him, and eventually fell asleep, but woke up not even an hour later, screaming at the top of his lungs. Taeyong felt himself redden in embarrassment as he apologized to the annoyed passengers around them, bowing his head.

“Sicheng,” Yuta had said softly as he prepared a bottle for Sicheng. “Sicheng, baby, please be quiet.”

It wasn’t until Taeyong carefully pulled him out of the seat strapped into the plane seat that Sicheng calmed down. Taeyong rocked Sicheng in his arms until the only sounds that came out of him were quiet whines, his own way of telling them he was hungry. “It’s okay, baby, Papa’s going to feed you soon.”

It happened six more times, Taeyong apologizing to everyone who gave them an annoyed look. Thankfully, Sicheng was quiet when the plane landed, sucking on the pacifier once again and looking around with wide eyes. Yuta and Taeyong got off the plane feeling exhausted and ready to go home, put Sicheng to sleep, and get even ten minutes of rest before Sicheng cried for them.

 

When they finally pulled up to their house, Taeyong was in charge of getting Sicheng from the car and into the house, while Yuta grabbed their bags.

“Okay, Sicheng,” Taeyong whispered, reaching down to take him out of the car seat. He placed Sicheng against his chest, holding him so he wouldn’t fall, and then turned to motion at the house. “This is your house.”

Sicheng blinked up at Taeyong.

“Your room is right next to ours,” Taeyong continued, making his way up the path that led to the front door. “I’m sure you’re going to feel much more comfortable sleeping here. Papa bought you a nice crib and its mattress is really nice. So much better than the one you were sleeping in when we were at the hotel.” Taeyong held Sicheng with one arm, and pulled his house keys out of his pocket with his free hand. “It feels so nice to finally have you home.”

Taeyong walked into the living room and found it just as they had left it. Sicheng’s head was pressed against Taeyong’s chest, a muffled whine coming from him. Taeyong turned the little body in his arms so Sicheng could observe.

“You’re going to have to baby proof all of this in a few months,” Yuta’s voice sounded from the entrance.

Taeyong turned and watched as he locked the door and dropped their bags by the suitcases. “Please let me enjoy this moment,” he said, holding Sicheng against his chest tighter.

The thought that Sicheng would be crawling and sitting in a few months, without Taeyong needing to help him made him a little sad already. He wasn’t ready for Sicheng to grow up that fast. He wanted to enjoy holding him for as long as he could.

“He’ll be walking around the house before you know it,” Yuta sang, walking past him and into the kitchen. “Ten texted me, by the way. He wants to come by with Johnny sometime tomorrow.”

Taeyong walked into the kitchen, Sicheng eyeing the place with wide eyes. “They can come for lunch,” he said. “We should be home from the doctor’s by then.”

“Speaking about lunch, it seems like Jaehyun and Doyoung ate all of ours,” Yuta said, looking into the fridge. “I’ll order something. Pizza?”

Taeyong nodded. “Sounds good.”

Yuta closed the fridge and picked up his cellphone. He dialed a phone number then placed the phone to his ear. While he ordered, Taeyong went back into the living room and then made his way upstairs.

“Ready to see your room, Sicheng?” Taeyong asked, looking down at Sicheng.

He stopped at the door beside their bedroom, and turned the knob with one hand, holding Sicheng with one arm.

“ _Ta-da!_ ” Taeyong exclaimed, walking into the room. He made his way to the crib and carefully placed Sicheng inside, unwrapping the blankets around him. Sicheng waved his arms and legs around, cute sounds leaving his mouth. Taeyong placed the blankets on the top of dresser beside the crib. “Sicheng-ah, can you stay quiet while I go get our things?”

Sicheng let out a cute sound, and Taeyong smiled. He turned on the small mobile that hung over Sicheng’s crib to keep him distracted.

Taeyong left and quickly went downstairs, grabbing their bags and a suitcase, pulling it upstairs and leaving them in their bedroom. He went back down and retrieved the last suitcase.

When he passed by Sicheng’s room to go find Yuta, he noticed the younger man was inside the room, Sicheng in his arms.

“Your dad and our friends worked extremely hard to fix up your room, Sicheng,” Yuta said. “You’re probably going to want to change it when you grow up, huh?”

Taeyong smiled and entered the room. “I’m sure Hansol and Johnny won’t mind helping me then.”

“Oh, Taeyong,” Yuta murmured, his face turning pink. “I didn’t see you there.”

“Since when are you one to get shy around me, Mr. Nakamoto?” Taeyong grinned.

Yuta rolled his eyes. “I’m not shy.”

“Sure you’re not.”

Taeyong walked over to Yuta, and looked down at Sicheng. He reached for his hands and Sicheng immediately wrapped his fingers around one of Taeyong’s.

“He’s going to grow up and drop a lot of things,” Yuta said quietly. “I can already tell.”

“Can you stop talking about him growing up?” Taeyong asked, frown on his face.

Yuta laughed, shaking his head. “Okay, okay. Now go downstairs. Pizza should be here soon. Let me see if I can get him to sleep.”

 

Johnny and Ten were definitely excited to meet Sicheng.

Yuta had told Taeyong that they would be visiting around one, right after Sicheng’s doctor appointment, and as expected they arrived on time, several gift bags in their hands.

“I wasn’t sure how big he would be, so I got a lot of nine month clothes,” Ten explained as Yuta opened the gift bags to reveal all sorts of cute outfits.

“He spent two hours choosing all of this,” Johnny said, earning a smack on the arm from Ten. “I only got the toys.”

“Thanks, guys,” Yuta laughed, folding all the clothes and placing them back in the bags. “I’m sure Sicheng will appreciate these when he grows into them.”

“Where is he anyway?” Ten asked, looking around the living room.

“Sleeping,” Yuta replied. “He cried the entire time at the doctor’s, he tired himself out.”

Ten pouted, but immediately smiled, looking at Yuta. “Let’s eat, and hopefully he'll wake up by then.”

Yuta went into the kitchen, Ten following. Johnny sat beside Taeyong on the couch.

“Sicheng?” Johnny asked after a moment. “Chinese name?”

“His birth mother named him,” Taeyong replied.

Johnny hummed, leaning back into the couch. “How was China?”

“It was great. You know Yuta’s always working, so it was good for him to get a break. I even took him out on his birthday over there,” Taeyong said.

He wondered when Yuta would go back to work. They hadn’t talked about it much. Taeyong would have to go back to work on Monday, and he had mentioned that to Yuta, but he hadn’t said anything about his own work. Taeyong really worried about Yuta sometimes. The younger worked everyday, for twelve entire hours. He sometimes even worked during the night, leaving Taeyong alone in the evenings.

“It’s good for him to get some rest,” Johnny said quietly. “Ten works a lot, too. It seems like our apartment is more mine than his sometimes.”

“You know Ten works hard to—”

Taeyong was cut off by the sound of a cry coming from the baby monitor placed on the coffee table.

“Is that...can I go see him?” Johnny asked, sitting up.

Taeyong nodded. He walked up the stairs, Johnny following. The door to Sicheng’s room was open, and he could hear the cries from the top of the stairs.

They entered Sicheng’s room, Taeyong heading directly to the crib. Johnny stood by the door, watching as Taeyong lifted Sicheng from the crib. He placed him against his chest, and slowly, Johnny walked towards them.

“He’s so small,” he said quietly.

Sicheng continued to cry, and Taeyong reached for a clean pacifier on the dresser. He placed into into Sicheng’s mouth, and his cries died down, the tears in his eyes disappearing. “Do you want to hold him?”

Johnny looked at Taeyong, frown on his face. “Are you sure I can?”

Taeyong nodded, holding his arms out. “Of course. It’s not hard. Look, put your arms out.”

He placed Sicheng against Johnny’s chest, and then fixed his arms so he was holding him correctly. Johnny let out a deep breath. “He’s  _so_ small.”

Sicheng looked at Johnny for a moment before scrunching up his face, pacifier falling from his mouth, and a loud cry coming out.

“Oh my God, Taeyong, take him back,” Johnny said, panic on his face. “I made him cry.”

Taeyong laughed and reached over to take him back, grabbing the pacifier and putting it back into Sicheng’s mouth. “It’s fine,” Taeyong reassured.

Sicheng let the pacifier fall again, and cried even louder.

“He’s just hungry,” Taeyong said. “Let’s go downstairs.”

Johnny followed him as they went back down.

Ten was standing at the kitchen entrance. “Is that him?” he asked, eyes wide.

Taeyong nodded and walked by him. “Yuta?”

“There’s a warm bottle on the counter. It should be good now.”

Taeyong made his way over and grabbed it. “Johnny, here. You can hold him and feed him. My arms are tired.”

“M–me?” Johnny stuttered, pointing to himself.

“I’ll hold him,” Ten said, raising his hand. He walked over and Taeyong handed Sicheng to him. Ten grabbed the bottle and placed the tip against Sicheng’s mouth, his cries dying down.

Taeyong turned and reached for the bib that was beside the bottle. He carefully placed it under Sicheng’s chin. “There you go,” he said. “You can sit down.”

He turned around and reached for a bag of chips that was on the counter, avoiding Yuta’s ‘Taeyong-don’t-eat-that-right-now-please’ look.

Ten sat in a chair by the dining table. “He’s so tiny,” he said, eyes locked on Sicheng. “I’ve never held someone so teeny tiny.”

“He won’t stay that small for long,” Yuta said. “He was seven pounds when he was born, and the doctor told us that by four months, he should be double that.”

Ten smiled fondly. “Wouldn’t it be nice to have a child together, Johnny?”

Taeyong looked up at Johnny, who looked back at him with wide eyes. “Uh, I–I guess,” he stuttered, his cheeks pink. “I, I didn’t know you wanted one, with me, I mean–uh, Ten, can we not talk about this here?”

Taeyong glanced at Yuta, who only rolled his eyes as he poured water into glasses.

“He’s cute,” Ten said, fixing the cap on Sicheng’s head. “He’s going to grow up and catch all of the ladies’ hearts. And the guys, too.”

Taeyong fumbled with the bag of chips he was opening. “What?” he asked, looking at the Thai man with wide eyes.

“Don’t talk about growing up around him,” Yuta said, setting down the glasses of water on the table. “He’ll have a heart attack.”

Taeyong frowned, finally opening the bag in his hands. “Leave me alone.”

Yuta only shook his head, smile on his face.

 

Yuta had finally gotten Sicheng to sleep after an entire hour of trying, and he walked into the bedroom, and dropped onto the bed beside Taeyong.

“Had fun?” Taeyong asked, looking away from his phone to glance at Yuta.

Yuta groaned, the sound muffled by the pillow. “Shut up,” his muffled voice said.

Taeyong hummed, turning on his side and putting an arm around the younger man. He pulled Yuta closer until he was against Taeyong. “You never would’ve said that to me seven years ago,” Taeyong murmured.

Yuta put his arm around Taeyong and turned so he was looking at him. “Seven years ago, I didn’t have to deal with you twenty four hours a day,” he said, a pout on his face.

“Thinking about it, you were a lot cuter seven years ago,” Taeyong shot back. “Being with me is definitely taking a toll on you.”

Yuta rolled his eyes, and pulled his arm back to hit Taeyong on the chest. “ _Yah_ ,” he warned. “Shut up.”

“Just kidding,” Taeyong said, leaning into press a kiss onto Yuta’s forehead. “You’re as cute as the day I met you.”

Yuta snorted. “Are you drunk?”

“In love,” Taeyong crooned.

“Oh my God, Taeyong,” Yuta whined, making Taeyong burst out laughing. He pushed Taeyong away and turned away from him. “You’re the dumbest person I’ve ever dated.”

Taeyong put his arm around Yuta and pressed his body against his back “I thought you said I was your first boyfriend?” he questioned.

“That’s _not_ the point I’m making here, Taeyong,” Yuta replied. “And it’s not like I was your first boyfriend.”

“You were,” Taeyong admitted quietly. “I had three girlfriends when I was younger, but you were my first boyfriend.”

“Three girlfriends?”

“But let’s talk about the other boyfriends you had, and never told me about,” Taeyong said.

Yuta turned back around, placed his hands on Taeyong’s chest, and leaned in to kiss Taeyong’s lips. “I’m going to sleep. Sicheng should wake up in three hours, and you’re going to go in and put him back to sleep.”

“Yuta,” Taeyong grumbled, frowning when Yuta turned away. He stared at the back of his head for a moment. “Fine, I’ll just ask your mom.”

“You barely understand Japanese,” Yuta mused. “Plus, she doesn’t really like you.”

“Yuta! What do you mean she doesn’t really like me?” Taeyong pouted.

“I’m sleeping,” Yuta replied.

Taeyong pulled his arms back, turned onto his back and looked up at the ceiling. He could hear Yuta’s breath slow down as he began to fall asleep. “Yuta?”

“What?” he mumbled.

“I love you.”

Yuta stayed quiet for a moment. “I love you, Taeyong.”

Taeyong exhaled deeply and laid there, staring at the ceiling.

After a few minutes, Yuta turned around and placed a hand on Taeyong’s chest, pressing himself against him. Yuta’s breaths were slow, and deep, chest rising and falling.

Taeyong closed his eyes, listening to the soft sound of Yuta breathing.

When he woke up, Yuta was jabbing him in the abdomen, telling him to check on Sicheng, who could be heard crying through the baby monitor on the bedstand.

Taeyong pulled away from Yuta and sat up in the bed, rubbing his eyes. “I got it,” he murmured. “Go back to sleep, baby.”

He stood up and made his way to the door, opening it and walking into the hall. He opened the other door and walked into the room beside theirs. He walked towards the crib, and looked inside to find Sicheng, hands balled into fists by his head and face scrunched up as he cried.

“It’s okay, baby,” Taeyong muttered, reaching down and pulling him up into his arms. “It’s okay. I’m here.”

He rocked Sicheng but after a few moments, it was obvious that that wasn’t going to help. He placed Sicheng down onto the top of the changing pad placed on the dresser. He unbuttoned the onesie he was wearing, and checked the diaper, which was clean.

“You’re hungry?” Taeyong asked, only receiving cries in response. “Alright, let’s get you something to eat.”

He picked Sicheng up, and went downstairs then into the kitchen.

With one arm holding Sicheng, he quickly prepared a bottle and warmed it up, carefully testing it on his wrist.

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Taeyong murmured, lifting the bottle to Sicheng’s lips.

He leaned against the counter, and sighed. One glance at the digital clock on the counter told him it was 12:34 AM. He had slept for four hours, yet it felt like it had been four minutes.

He looked down at Sicheng, who was beginning to fall back asleep, small hands against his chest. “Don’t fall back asleep yet,” Taeyong said, placing a finger under Sicheng’s chin. “You have to finish feeding.”

Sicheng made a small sound and began happily sucking the bottle, squirming a little.

After Sicheng finished the bottle, Taeyong placed him against his chest and began patting his back softly. It took a few minutes but Sicheng eventually let out a little burp.

Taeyong took him back upstairs and carefully placed him back in the crib.

“Next time you wake up, Papa will come check on you,” Taeyong told the sleeping baby. “I love you, Sicheng.”

Taeyong went back to their bedroom and laid down next to Yuta, a long sigh escaping his lips. Yuta immediately nuzzled up to him, arms wrapping around Taeyong.

He wrapped his own arms around Yuta, and closed his eyes.

“Taeyong?” Yuta whispered.

“Hm?”

“I love you,” Yuta said quietly, pressing his lips against Taeyong’s jaw.

“I love you,” he replied, allowing himself to fall back asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok, so one of my mutuals on twitter tweeted about this story and i just !!! i was so surprised, thank you so much. i just about cried. thank you, thank you. (i don't know if i should say who it is, but...maybe they know who they are??)  
> \---  
> thank you, again, for all the comments and kudos. they're all very, very, very much appreciated! thank you, thank you!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuta leaves Taeyong and Sicheng alone for a day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> unedited, sorry if there’s mistakes! hope someone enjoys this!

“So, like, which one of you is the mom?”

Yuta looked at his friend, eyes narrowed. “Don’t you think that’s a little insensitive? Neither of us is the ‘mom’.” Yuta paused. “You wouldn’t ask Joohyun and Seungwan who the dad is, would you?”

“That’s a little ridiculous, don’t you think?”

Yuta scoffed, setting down his chopsticks to look at his friend. “Then why are you asking who the mom is in our relationship? Be quiet, and eat, Jaehyun.”

Jaehyun sighed. His eyes wandered around the small restaurant they were in before they landed on Yuta. “Doyoung was wondering if you and hyung were going to do something,” he informed, crossing his arms on the table.

Yuta looked away from his food and up at the younger man. “For what?”

“Your second wedding anniversary?” Jaehyun asked, “Isn’t that coming up? You got married in December, right?”

“Oh, that,” Yuta murmured, looking back down at his food. He picked up a piece of meat and brought it to his lips. “I don’t think we’re doing anything,” he said before putting it into his mouth.

“Oh?”

Yuta shook his head, already thinking about how difficult it would be to plan something. “It’s too much. Sicheng is only a month old, and Taeyong really doesn’t like the idea of leaving him with a sitter.”

Jaehyun hummed. “Of course he doesn’t,” he said; Yuta ignored the sarcasm in his voice. “But that’s where we come in.”

“We?”

He nodded. “Doyoung and I. We’ll take care of Sicheng for a night so you two can enjoy a nice date, or something.” Jaehyun motioned to the stroller right by Yuta, and more specifically the car seat snapped into it, where Sicheng was peacefully sleeping.

Yuta thought about it. He and Taeyong really weren’t big on date nights or things like that. It had been fun the first few years, but after going on several movie dates, dinner dates, amusement park dates, and everything in between...it got repetitive, and while they were still fun to do, they very much preferred staying home. And besides, it would be difficult to find something to do. For their first wedding anniversary, Taeyong had taken Yuta to a really nice ski resort in the mountains, which had been extremely fun (excluding the few complications they had). He didn’t know if they would be able to top that kind of date.

“Doyoung took me wine tasting for our anniversary,” Jaehyun offered, taking a sip of his drink. “It was great, and he only got a little tipsy. He really didn’t like the idea of spitting the wine back out.”

Yuta chuckled. “Seriously? He  _drank_ the wine?”

“Seriously,” Jaehyun laughed. “I’m sure Johnny and Ten have had some nice anniversary dates, too. You can ask them.”

“But the thing is, Taeyong and I are married,” Yuta argued, the thought popping into his head. “You and Doyoung have been dating for four years; Johnny and Ten haven’t even been together for three years.”

“Even more reason for you to ask them,” Jaehyun persisted. He gave Yuta a look, and then turned away to look at another table. “Hey, do you think I can get one of those things that girl’s drinking? You’re paying, right?”

 

Taeyong emerged from the bathroom with a towel around his waist and a towel in his hand. He ran the towel in his hand through his hair and then discarded it into the hamper. Yuta merely glanced at him as he opened the closet to get his clothes. He really needed to figure out how their phone bill had gone up so much, and not even a half-naked Taeyong could distract him. Not right now.

“Yuta?” Taeyong’s voice rang through.

Yuta looked up at his husband, who was now wearing sweats and a t-shirt. Taeyong was looking at him, and maybe Yuta should’ve paid attention. “Hm, did you say something?”

“I asked if we were going to Japan for New Year’s,” Taeyong repeated. He tilted his head to the side, eyebrows pulled together and a slight frown on his face. “You okay?”

“I’m fine,” Yuta replied. “And no. Mom said it’d be too difficult and that we should just spend it here. She sounded upset, but I’m trying not to think about it too much.”

Taeyong walked and sat down beside Yuta on the bed. He crossed his legs and propped himself onto his hands. “Of course she’s upset. Her grandson, which she hasn’t even met, is going to have his first Christmas and New Year’s, and she won’t be here. I would be upset.”

Yuta sighed and put the paper in his hand aside. Taeyong quickly uncrossed his legs and laid down on the bed, placing his head on Yuta’s lap, pushing aside all of the bills he was previously looking at. “Are you upset? Is that what’s wrong?” Taeyong asked, looking up at him.

“My mom is fine,” Yuta said, flicking Taeyong on the forehead. “She’ll live. She’s a strong woman.”

“Then what is it?” Another frown.

“Nothing, you idiot,” Yuta said. He flicked Taeyong’s forehead again. “Stop frowning like that. You’ll get wrinkles.”

Taeyong swatted his hand away. “Do you want to do anything for Christmas? I’m sure one of our friends is holding some kind of party.”

Yuta hummed, bringing his hands up to brush through the dark strands of Taeyong’s damp hair. Taeyong closed his eyes, and moved around to make himself more comfortable on Yuta’s lap. “Sure, we’ll do that,” Yuta murmured.

“Good,” Taeyong replied softly.

Yuta ran his fingers through Taeyong’s hair for a few moments, and he could tell the older man was beginning to fall asleep.

When Sicheng’s cry came through the baby monitor, Taeyong didn’t even move a muscle.

Before Yuta could even tell him to go check on Sicheng, Taeyong opened his mouth. “Don’t tell me to do it. It’s your turn.”

 

Yuta’s mornings were much different than before.

“Sicheng-ah,” Taeyong said, looking at the baby squirming in Yuta’s arms. “Do you know what  _sejelwi_ is?”

Taeyong leaned in so Sicheng could see him properly. Sicheng waved his little arms around, small grunts coming out of his mouth as he tried to grab Taeyong’s face.

“It means the cutest in the world,” Taeyong continued. He touched Sicheng’s nose with his finger. “Sicheng is _sejelwi_.”

Taeyong laughed, pinching Sicheng’s cheeks softly. Sicheng kicked his legs around, a small laugh coming from his mouth.

“ _Oh my God,_ ” Taeyong cooed. “He laughed. That’s the _cutest_ sound I’ve ever heard.”

Yuta laughed. “So dramatic. Go check on breakfast, or you’ll burn the food.”

“When have I ever burned food? I’ve been making breakfast for you for years and never once have I burned your food.” Taeyong turned and walked back to the stove.

Sicheng whined, crying.

Yuta turned him in his lap. “Do you want to hang out with Dad?” he asked, watching Sicheng’s features scrunch up in displeasure. “What about me, Sicheng?”

The boy only cried.

Yuta laughed, bringing him closer and bouncing Sicheng on his thighs. “Dad is making breakfast, he can’t be with you right now,” Yuta told him.

Sicheng sniffled and pouted.

“Yuta?”

He looked at Taeyong, who was busy stirring something. “What is it?”

“The thirteenth is next week, right?”

Yuta froze. Taeyong looked back at him, frown on his face.

“Babe?”

Sicheng gurgled, small fist hitting Yuta on the chest. He blinked. “Yes, the thirteenth is next Wednesday,” he replied.

“I was talking to Doyoung, and I’m sure Jaehyun told you when you two went out to lunch a few days ago, but—”  _Oh no._ “—he offered to watch Sicheng for the night.”

“What did you say?” Yuta asked carefully, watching as Taeyong began serving food onto plates.

“They’re our friends but I don’t think either of them have ever held a baby longer than five minutes. Besides, if you can’t leave me alone with Sicheng, why should we leave them alone with him?” Taeyong gave him an accusatory look.

“I leave you alone with him plenty,” Yuta scoffed.

Taeyong made his way over and set a plate on the table. “Telling me to watch him when you’re less than twenty feet away doesn’t count,” he countered playfully.

Sicheng grabbed at Yuta’s shirt, little whines making him turn to look at the baby. “Are you sleepy again?” He reached for the pacifier on the table and brought it to Sicheng’s mouth.

“Anyway, I told Doyoung we’d probably would leave Sicheng with them,” Taeyong confessed after a few minutes.

Yuta looked at him. “You _what_?”

Taeyong raised his arms in defense. “Listen, it’s an important day, and I think that we deserve to celebrate it. I don’t think taking Sicheng into a fancy restaurant is a good idea. I made reservations to a extremely nice restaurant months ago but didn’t know we would have a new family member so soon.”

“Wednesday is five days away,” Yuta said. “When were you going to tell me we had plans?”

Taeyong didn’t say anything, and Yuta frowned.

“ _Aigoo_ ,” Taeyong cooed after a moment, eyes on Sicheng, who was beginning to fall asleep in Yuta’s arms. “Sicheng really is the cutest in the world, isn’t he?”

 

While Yuta denied it, what Taeyong had said was completely true. He hadn’t left Sicheng alone with Taeyong. It wasn’t like he didn’t trust Taeyong; he trusted him with everything he had. But it felt odd to  _not_ be near Sicheng. Yuta had been with Sicheng since the day he was born. Every single day, he had been right there with him. He was the one who held him, and fed him, and changed him every day, morning to night. Of course, Taeyong did too, but not as much. Taeyong worked almost every day so he didn’t spend as much time with Sicheng as Yuta did.

Taeyong wasn’t seriously upset or offended. Yuta was sure that he knew how to take care of him without ‘supervision’ and he knew that Taeyong very much understood that Yuta didn’t mean anything by not leaving him alone with Sicheng. Yet the fact made Yuta uncomfortable. It didn’t seem fair.

The thirteenth was approaching, and Taeyong had told Yuta that they were in fact going to go on a date to celebrate. It would be a few hours, and they would be back home before ten o’clock, promised by Taeyong. Taeyong had everything ready, but after a very unfortunate incident (see: Taeyong getting some kind of permanent stain on his shirt), Yuta had decided to go out and buy Taeyong a new dress shirt. There were four days left until the thirteenth and Yuta knew that if it was up to Taeyong, he would put off buying himself a dress shirt until the very last hour. (It happened before, it’ll happen again.)

Originally, his schedule for the day involved taking Sicheng, as he needed to do a little grocery shopping and visit drop off some papers at Johnny and Ten's. But after Taeyong told him about the shirt and Yuta promised to buy a new one, Yuta began feeling uneasy about taking Sicheng all around the mall.

And after the incident, it seemed as if two small errands he had became a twenty item to-do list. Taeyong seemed to suddenly remember that he needed some things from the home improvement store to fix something Johnny had broken in the backyard. He also seemed to remember that the car was due for an oil change, and Yuta hesitantly added it to the growing list of errands.

In the end, he had to go grocery shopping, stop by the home improvement store, go get the car’s oil change, buy Taeyong’s shirt, drop off papers at Johnny and Ten’s place, and then Taeyong had somehow convinced him to go to the baby store and buy a few things Sicheng would need in the upcoming months. It would be extremely difficult to take Sicheng with him and get everything done on time. It didn’t help that he was being fussier than usual, either.

When they had visited the doctor for Sicheng’s two week check up, she had told them that it would be normal for Sicheng to eat more and be a little crankier as he reached the six week mark. Because Sicheng woke up every two to three hours a night to feed, he didn’t get enough sleep and thus making him more agitated during the day. It was a result of him growing, and after the short growth spurt ended, he would be calmer. But until then, going places with Sicheng would be tiring for everyone.

“Are you sure?” Taeyong asked, following Yuta into the living room.

Yuta stopped to pick up the papers he was supposed to give Johnny. “Yes, Taeyong, I am completely sure. Or do you want to go do everything you told me do?”

“No, no,” Taeyong protested immediately. “I’ll stay.”

“Okay, then,” Yuta said. He made his way over to the front door, Taeyong trailing behind like a lost puppy. Yuta turned to look at his husband. “I put Sicheng down for his nap ten minutes ago and he should wake up in about an hour and a half. He’ll need to be changed and fed, and all that. I need you to do at least fifteen minutes of tummy time with him when he’s awake. He likes it a lot.”

“Got it, tummy time for at least fifteen minutes,” Taeyong nodded. “Anything else?”

“That should be it. Play with him, feed him, and put him down for another nap. You know he loves being with you,” Yuta replied, reaching over to get his keys. “I’ll go by Johnny and Ten’s first, and then to the mall. I’ll figure the rest out from there. I should be back in a few hours.”

Taeyong stayed quiet, waiting patiently for Yuta to look at him again. When Yuta did look at him, Taeyong leaned in and kissed him on the cheek quickly.

“Okay, I’m leaving now,” Yuta chuckled, turning around to open the door.

Yuta gave Taeyong one last kiss before he left the house.

He got in the car and gave Taeyong one last look before pulling out of the driveway.

Johnny and Ten didn’t live extremely far from their house. They lived in some an apartment complex a few miles away. However, Yuta didn’t know if either of them would be there, as they liked to spend a lot of his time going out and such.

When he saw that Johnny, or Ten, were in fact _not_ in their apartment, he texted Taeyong.

> **From TY:**
> 
> _oh yeah, he’s out of town w ten for a few days. 4got to give you the key to get inside. oops_

Yuta sighed. Of course. He set his phone down and started the car again.

Thankfully, the mall was nearby and Yuta didn’t have to drive across the entire city to buy Taeyong his shirt. Yuta still didn’t know the story behind the mysterious stain and he figured that Taeyong probably didn’t know either. It was better not to ask.

* * *

 

Taeyong was beyond delighted when Yuta (finally) decided it was time that he take care of Sicheng the entire day. Yuta had taken time off in order to take care of Sicheng, therefore the younger man spent more time with him than Taeyong did. It was his day off and it would be nice spending it with Sicheng. A dad-son bonding day.

Unfortunately, the truth about taking care of a baby hit Taeyong much quicker and much harder than he would’ve liked.

Like Yuta said, Sicheng woke up around an hour and a half after Yuta left and Taeyong quickly left the bedroom where he was folding laundry to get Sicheng.

“Sicheng-ah,” Taeyong sang, pulling Sicheng out of the crib. “Did you sleep well, baby?”

Sicheng made a small sound and kicked his leg out in reply. Taeyong laughed, which made Sicheng laugh.

Taeyong brought Sicheng back into the bedroom and carefully laid out one of his blankets on the bed to lay him down while he continued folding clothes. Sicheng was calm, looking around with wide eyes. He kicked his legs and flailed his arms occasionally, making cute sounds that made Taeyong smile like an idiot. Taeyong had given him a pacifier—the one Yuta said was his ‘favorite’—and it kept Sicheng happy and quiet.

But when Taeyong was sorting out socks, _something_ happened. He looked down for one second and the next, Sicheng was crying at the top of his lungs, the pacifier forgotten.

Immediately, Taeyong picked him up and brought him to his chest. After checking, Taeyong laid Sicheng back onto the bed and began unbuttoning the onesie he had one. He reached for the diapers and wipes he had brought into the room and quickly changed Sicheng, who cried until Taeyong finished buttoning the onesie again.

“Do you give Papa a hard time like this, too?” Taeyong asked, looking down at Sicheng, who just kicked his legs and giggled. Taeyong laughed and reached down to pinch his cheeks. “The cutest baby in the world.”

Sicheng continued to suck on the pacifier and Taeyong continued to tell him random things as he finished putting the laundry away. He knew Sicheng didn’t understand, but in the books and articles he had read before bringing Sicheng home, it was highly recommended that parents speak to their children because it would help them communicate. Sicheng wasn’t really doing anything, though. He just looked up at Taeyong with wide eyes, completely oblivious to what he was saying. He could care less, really.

“Sicheng, do you think Papa will like what I’ve planned for Wednesday?” Taeyong asked. He reached down and picked Sicheng up. “He thinks we’re going out for dinner, but he’s going to be so surprised. Aren’t you excited?”

He took him back to the nursery, continuing to tell him about the plans he managed to set up. Yuta worked extremely hard in everything he did. Before Sicheng, Yuta worked at the hospital for hours, doing his job with a smile on his face even though it tired him out. Taeyong remembered the way Yuta would come home exhausted, just wanting to rest for the upcoming day. And now that Sicheng was here, Yuta worked tirelessly to tend to all of Sicheng’s needs while Taeyong worked. It would be a while before Yuta could go back to work, but even away from work, he still needed to take care of everything that Taeyong couldn’t. 

“Okay, Sicheng,” Taeyong said, sitting on the empty floor of the nursery. He sat Sicheng on his thigh and looked down at him. “We get to play now.”

Taeyong reached over to pull the playmat that Doyoung had gifted them and then sat Sicheng on it. He grabbed the back of Sicheng’s head to keep him from falling backwards.

“Papa said you really liked this, so let’s see, alright?”

Taeyong had seen Yuta do this with Sicheng for the past two weeks. At first, Sicheng cried, but after a few days, he seemed to enjoy it and while he still couldn’t fully hold up his head by himself, it wouldn’t be long before he could. Yuta always praised Sicheng, and maybe Sicheng didn’t understand what was being said to him, but Taeyong thought Yuta’s words really did encourage him to try to bring his head up to look at him. So when he turned Sicheng over and laid him with his stomach down onto the pillow that came with the playmat, he really didn’t expect Sicheng to start crying after the first minute.

Taeyong immediately picked Sicheng up and rocked him until he stopped crying. “What’s wrong, dude? I thought you liked it.”

He had seen Yuta do different things to help Sicheng during tummy time, and so Taeyong thought he could try the ones he could remember.

He laid Sicheng back down on the pillow and brought small toys out to distract him. He rolled some toy cars on the carpet in front of Sicheng, who lifted his head slightly. He watched the little cars and laughed, kicking his legs and swinging his arms excitedly. It kept him entertained for about four minutes before he started crying again.

“Okay, new thing, new thing,” Taeyong exclaimed, picking him up frantically.

He knew that Yuta leaned back on the couch or on the chair in Sicheng’s room, and placed Sicheng on his chest, belly down, so they could look at each other. Taeyong knew Sicheng really liked that particular position because he had several pictures and videos on his phone of Sicheng giggling as Yuta made funny faces at him. He had sent them to almost every contact in his phone. Hansol had not been very appreciative of getting a video of Sicheng in the middle of his date, but Taeyong’s sister had been overjoyed by the fifteen second attachment even if it was the middle of the night in Korea.

Taeyong hastily put the playmat away, promising himself that he would put it away properly later. He stood up and walked to the chair by the crib. He sat back in it and carefully placed Sicheng on his chest. He held on to him and Sicheng began moving his arms, trying to push himself away. He looked like he wanted to cry again.

“Sicheng,” Taeyong whined.

Sicheng looked at Taeyong. He pulled his head up and stared at Taeyong. Taeyong stuck his tongue out and Sicheng giggled cutely, which made him smile. Fortunately, Sicheng didn’t cry and very much enjoyed the twenty minutes Taeyong talked to him and made faces he could laugh at. Taeyong also enjoyed it, but he had to admit that keeping Sicheng entertained for the entire twenty minutes was tiring. He really didn’t give Yuta enough credit.

Taeyong laid out the playmat again and laid Sicheng on his back. He brought out some toys and showed them to Sicheng, who reached out to grab them. Taeyong moved the toys around and Sicheng followed them with his eyes, watching carefully. After the first few toys, Sicheng started crying, no longer interested in what Taeyong had to show him.

It had been two hours since Yuta left and Taeyong was already beginning to feel like he needed Yuta to come back and help him.

After picking up the nursery, Taeyong took Sicheng downstairs as he began fussing and Taeyong figured he was hungry. He held Sicheng carefully with one arm and with his free hand began preparing a bottle for him.

Sicheng was making sounds, gurgling and grunting, growing more anxious. Usually, Sicheng wasn’t this grumpy but it was expected. Growing babies needed food and they needed food fast. Unfortunately, Taeyong could not prepare a bottle in the snap of a finger.

“I know, Sicheng, I know,” Taeyong pouted. He placed the warm bottle on the counter and cradled Sicheng with both arms. “But it’s too warm. You have to wait, baby.”

Sicheng whined, squirming around in Taeyong’s arms.

After a few minutes of Sicheng threatening to cry, pulling distressed faces and letting out disgruntled baby noises, Taeyong checked the bottle, claimed it was warm enough, and brought it to Sicheng’s mouth.

 _Paced bottle feeding_ , Taeyong mentally reminded himself.

Yuta and Taeyong had learned how to pace bottle feed at parenting classes and at the hospital when Sicheng was born, and it was safe to say that Yuta was definitely better at it that Taeyong. He understood the concept, but it was difficult for him for some reason.

He didn’t tilt the bottle too high, not even when Sicheng whined. “You can’t eat too fast,” Taeyong said when Sicheng began squirming.

It took fifteen minutes for Sicheng to drink the four ounces and it seemed that it had filled him up. Taeyong burped him and then it seemed like Sicheng was much happier. Taeyong decided that maybe both him and Sicheng needed a nap now.

 

It was almost six when Yuta came home. Taeyong was in the kitchen about to start dinner. They didn’t have much, so Taeyong had decided to make whatever they had. Sicheng had woken up and Taeyong changed him and fed him before putting him back down to sleep. It wouldn’t be long until he woke up and Taeyong was happy Yuta was back before he woke up.

“Did you miss me?” Yuta asked as he walked into the kitchen. He set the bags in his hands on the kitchen island.

“Barely,” Taeyong lied, not turning back to look at Yuta.

“How was your day with Sicheng?” Taeyong felt Yuta wrap his arms around him from behind. “Did he cry a lot?”

Taeyong paused, and thought about it. Sicheng _had_ cried a lot, more than Taeyong expected. “No,” Taeyong lied again. Yuta didn’t need to know.

Yuta laughed and pulled away. “You’re a terrible liar.”

“What did you get from the grocery store? I’m going to make pork belly right now,” Taeyong averted.

“Cute,” Yuta murmured. “I got everything you asked me to get, except for one thing because they didn’t have it,” he said much louder.

“Can you get me the sesame oil?” Taeyong asked.

“If I can find it,” Yuta shot back. “I think I left the bag in the living room with the other things. Hold on.”

Yuta disappeared into the other room.

“What did you get at the baby store?” Taeyong asked, his voice loud so Yuta could hear him from the other room. “Did you get Sicheng that thing I told you?”

“Oh!” Yuta exclaimed. “That reminds me!”

Taeyong waited for him to elaborate but received nothing. He shook his head and turned back to the counter. He cut up some of the vegetables Yuta bought and then turned around. Yuta was taking a while finding sesame oil.

“ _Ta-da!_ ” Yuta exclaimed, appearing at the kitchen entrance with the sesame oil in one hand and a toy sword in the other. “Isn’t it cool? I found it at toy section of the store. It was like five dollars. There was a lot of colors, but I think the black one looked the coolest.”

“Yuta,” Taeyong sighed.

“What?”

“Give me the sesame oil,” Taeyong said, extending his arm.

Yuta muttered something that Taeyong decided to ignore but handed over the item. Taeyong turned around and continued to prepare dinner. Yuta disappeared again, despite claiming he was Taeyong’s ‘assistant’.

When he came back, Sicheng was in his arms. The little one looked very displeased, meaning he had just woken up from his nap. Yuta gave him some formula and played with him a little until his mood was up. Taeyong listened as Yuta talked to Sicheng, and Sicheng made noises back in response.

“Sicheng, let’s cheer Dad on as he finishes making dinner, yes?” Yuta asked, looking down at Sicheng. Taeyong turned around and saw Yuta grab Sicheng’s arm. Sicheng’s hand was in a little fist and then Yuta moved Sicheng’s arm back and forth. “ _Fighting, fighting, fighting_.”

Taeyong laughed. “Cute, baby,” he murmured, turning back to finish cooking.

Yuta talked to Sicheng a little more and then made his way over to Taeyong. He looked at Yuta again and barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes when he saw the toy sword in Yuta’s hand. Sicheng was cradled in one arm and Yuta held the sword with his free hand. He waved it around in front of Taeyong’s face, and then Taeyong really rolled his eyes.

“Get the drinks, Yuta,” Taeyong said.

Yuta set the sword down and happily went to the fridge to pull out drinks, quietly explaining everything he was doing to Sicheng, who responded with gurgles, his fingers in his mouth.

Of course, Yuta picked the sword up after he set down the drinks. He showed it to Sicheng, who tried to grab it, but Yuta refused to let him touch it because  _no Sicheng, you can’t play with this yet_.

Taeyong looked at the sword. It was plastic and extremely small. It definitely was not worth whatever money Yuta paid for it. “Yuta, what is that sword?” Taeyong asked.

Yuta did not even hesitate for a second. “It’s to protect you!”

Taeyong sighed. _Of course it is._ “I feel like I’m going crazy, Yuta.”

When Yuta had finished setting the table, and Taeyong had served him food, the Japanese man sat there, looking at Taeyong’s back.

“Why aren’t you eating?” Taeyong looked back at him.

“I’m waiting for you, duh,” Yuta replied. “I can’t eat without you.”

“This is new,” Taeyong said. “Are you the one who’s drunk today? What did you really do today?” he asked jokingly.

“What you’re eating is not important,” Yuta declared, and Taeyong could already feel himself getting a headache. “Who you’re eating with is important.”

Taeyong shook his head in disbelief. “ _Oh my God, Yuta._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is a new format (?) pls tell me if this is alright, or does anyone prefer the chapters with only one point of view? also, does anyone want a particular thing written, like first steps or first birthday? things like that, y’know. if so, please tell me! i love feedback and i'd like to see what i should write in the future.  
>  _thank you_ for all the comments and kudos. they really make me happy and keep me motivated. i hope this story doesn't s*ck as much as i think it does. lol


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sicheng misses Yuta. Taeyong is only mildly upset.  
> (Sicheng learns how to give kisses.)

Now that Sicheng was a little older, Yuta decided that it would be good if he went back to work. Of course, it wasn’t easy for him to go back to work after months of staying home. The hospital required him to work from early morning to late evening. Taeyong knew that Yuta really enjoyed work, but it was also hard for him to leave Sicheng all day.

On Yuta’s first day back at work, Taeyong had his day off. Yuta kissed Taeyong goodbye and that was that. Sicheng woke up a couple hours later and seemed surprised that it was Taeyong who appeared by his crib and not Yuta. Sicheng definitely looked confused, but after a moment, he squealed happily as Taeyong picked him up. Sicheng, for the most part, enjoyed being with Taeyong.

Yuta had left a note in the kitchen, with reminders about when and what to feed Sicheng, along with some things that needed to be done around the house. The first thing on the note was to feed Sicheng five ounces of formula when he woke up. Taeyong checked that off once Sicheng had finished.

Taeyong set Sicheng on the large playmat laid out in the living room and let Sicheng play with some toys while he picked up the rest of the living room, keeping a close eye on Sicheng. There was no big fuss. Sicheng played by himself and when Taeyong was done tidying, he sat in front of Sicheng and played with him.

“Pa,” Sicheng said, voice rising at the end of the syllable. It sounded like a question, and by the wide eyed look on his face, Taeyong assumed it was.

“Papa’s not here,” Taeyong answered.

This triggered a long babbling session from Sicheng. He said random syllables and occasionally laughed. He paused after a minute or so and looked at Taeyong.

“I agree,” Taeyong said dumbly.

Sicheng had started understanding how conversations worked and whenever he talked to someone, he would pause and wait for a response. Yuta always acted interested in whatever Sicheng was telling him and would reply accordingly, telling him all sorts of things in response. However, Taeyong couldn’t seem to say more than three or four words in response. But this didn’t seem to deter Sicheng one bit.

Sicheng continued to talk, grabbing his toys and showing them to Taeyong.

After a few more minutes, Sicheng seemed uninterested in the toys and more interested in the picture frames placed on the shelf of the television stand. When Taeyong saw Sicheng crawling over to grab them, he picked him up and walked out of the living room.

“You can’t touch the wedding photos, Sicheng,” Taeyong explained.

He was met with a frown and Sicheng telling him something in a high pitched voice, little fingers grabbing at Taeyong’s face.

“I’m sorry, but you can’t,” Taeyong said firmly, but smiled as soon as Sicheng began talking in an avid manner.

Taeyong made his way into the kitchen, listening to Sicheng tell him something only he could understand. The note Yuta left said to feed Sicheng at one, and it was almost a quarter till. The note also said that after lunch, Sicheng would take a nap and be up to play some more by three. Simple. Taeyong could handle that. While Sicheng napped, he could get the housework done.

Sicheng continued talking, and when Taeyong placed him in the high chair, he began hitting the tray with his small hands. His quiet blabbering turned into loud yelling, and Taeyong figured he was _not_ happy about being set down.

“I’m sorry, Sicheng, but I can’t carry you and prepare your bottle. You’re too big now,” Taeyong told him regretfully.

“Pa!” Sicheng exclaimed, an upset look on his face.

“I know, I know,” Taeyong murmured.

He placed one of Sicheng’s pacifiers on the tray and immediately, Sicheng grabbed it clumsily and brought it to his mouth, forgetting that he was upset with Taeyong.

Taeyong knew that Sicheng could only be entertained for so long before he began fussing again, so he quickly prepared a warm bottle and opened a small jar of pureed fruit. He set the items on the table and pulled a chair beside Sicheng’s high chair.

After a moment of prying the pacifier away, Taeyong brought the bottle to Sicheng’s mouth. His small hands wrapped around the bottle and tried to lift it higher, but Taeyong pulled it down. “No, Sicheng,” was all he said.

Sicheng finished the formula and ate a few spoonfuls of the pureed fruit, and then it was time to take him up to nap.

Taeyong picked up the kitchen and after cleaning Sicheng up, took him out of his high chair and went upstairs.

Sicheng’s napping schedule wasn’t as complicated as it was when he was smaller. He took three naps a day and then went to bed before seven. He had been sleeping for eleven hours, which was a relief to both Taeyong and Yuta. He occasionally woke up during the night but it didn’t happen often.

It was obvious that Sicheng was a little tired so after rocking him and murmuring a few Korean lullabies, the small boy was sleeping in Taeyong’s arms.

 

Sicheng was not pleased to see Taeyong after his nap.

“Sicheng-ah,” Taeyong sang as he walked into the nursery. “Let’s go play.”

He stopped by the crib and looked down at Sicheng, who stared up at him. After a moment, Sicheng raised his hand and pointed at him, exclaiming rather loudly and unhappily.

“What’s wrong?” Taeyong frowned, reaching down to pick him up.

“Pa, pa, pa, pa,” Sicheng cried.

“Do you miss Papa?” Taeyong asked, looking at him. “Papa’s not here, Sicheng. He’s at work.”

The information did not help Sicheng calm down.

“Don’t cry, baby,” Taeyong cooed, pressing his lips to the top of Sicheng’s head. “Papa will be back soon. Don’t worry.”

The unfortunate truth was that Yuta would not be back anytime soon. It was likely that Yuta would be back from work _after_ Sicheng was put to sleep. Sicheng probably wouldn’t see Yuta until tomorrow morning.

So it wasn’t just hard for Yuta. It was hard for Sicheng, too. He had never spent more than a few hours without seeing Yuta. It was the younger man that took care of Sicheng every hour of the day. It must’ve been unusual for Sicheng to not see Yuta around the house at all.

“It’s okay,” Taeyong whispered in a failed attempt to comfort Sicheng.

A few more reassurances and Sicheng calmed down, but Taeyong could see that he was still upset that he was with him and not Yuta. He sat Sicheng down on the playmat and then sat cross-legged on the carpet, watching Sicheng crawl around and study the toys that were on the mat.

He pulled out his phone and hesitantly typed a text out, hitting the ‘Send’ button before he could second guess it. He set the phone down and looked at Sicheng to make sure he wasn’t grabbing anything he wasn’t supposed to be grabbing.

“Sicheng-ah, do you want to play?” Taeyong asked, feigning excitement. He picked up a small rattle toy and shook it, catching Sicheng’s attention from where he was sitting across the mat. “Come play with  _appa_.”

Sicheng looked at him for a moment but turned away, picking up one of stacking rings instead. Taeyong sighed and set the rattle down. He picked up the toys around him and began putting them in the toy box when his phone vibrated from when it was set.

> From Yuta ♡:
> 
> My poor baby ㅋㅋ I miss him, too. Don’t worry, Tae. Will be back before bedtime… hopefully.

The phone vibrated in Taeyong’s hands just as he was starting to type his reply. He paused and then began deleting the message he had begun writing, reading over the new message.

> From Yuta ♡:
> 
> Have to go now. Call John or Ten to keep you company. Call you when I’m out of work. Tell Sicheng I love him.
> 
> From Yuta ♡:
> 
> Oh, & I love you, Tae.

Taeyong replied with a short, but meaningful ‘ _we luv u too_ ’ and then opened up his contacts, pressing the call button beside a name. He looked at Sicheng, who was quietly playing with the stacking rings and very obviously ignoring Taeyong. After ten seconds of looking at Sicheng, a familiar voice rang through Taeyong’s ear.

“Hello?”

“Hey, come over?” Taeyong asked immediately.

 

“Ta!”

“If you think about it, he has already said his first word.”

“Ta! Ta!”

“Good job, Sicheng.”

Taeyong watched as Ten played with Sicheng. Ten reached for a toy from the box beside him and waved it in front of Sicheng. The boy reached for it and when he had successfully grabbed it, he proceeded to bring it to his mouth.

Ten looked at Sicheng, determined expression on his face. “Say _náa_.”

“Ya!” Sicheng gurgled. He repeated the syllable and shook the toy in his hands, drool dripping from his mouth and onto his hands and toy. “Ya, ya, ya!”

“Don’t tell him to say that,” Taeyong muttered, glaring at Ten.

Ten ignored Taeyong and continued playing with the six month old sitting in front of him.

“Ta!” Sicheng squealed as Ten poked at his sides. “Pa!” Sicheng exclaimed shrilly, crawling as fast as he could until he reached Taeyong, feet away from Ten. “Ta!”

“Is Ten tickling you?” Taeyong asked, pulling a giggling Sicheng into his lap.

“Come here, Sicheng,” Ten said, pouting. He held out his arms and Sicheng only giggled. Ten dropped his arms and sighed dramatically.

Sicheng sat still in Taeyong’s lap and grabbed his hand, small chubby fingers wrapping around Taeyong’s fingers. Sicheng started talking quietly, more interested in Taeyong’s hand that going back to play with Ten.

“He calls you ‘Pa’ now? That’s an upgrade from the last time I saw him. He’s learning quick,” Ten commented, picking up the toys scattered around him.

“He picked it up from Yuta,” Taeyong replied. He felt Sicheng put his fingers in his mouth and moved his hand back, careful not to hurt him or make him cry. Sicheng looked up at him, confused. “No, Sicheng, you can’t eat my fingers.”

“Yuta?”

“Yeah, he’s always talking to Sicheng and when he’s talking about me, Yuta says ‘ _appa_ ’, like, “Look, _appa_ is doing this or that.” Sicheng just picked up the last bit of the word,” Taeyong explained.

“Interesting,” Ten murmured. “So what does he call Yuta?”

Taeyong felt himself blush. “The same thing,” he confessed. “We’re working on it.”

“He’s almost seven months old. He’s so big now,” Ten commented, glancing at Sicheng. “But he’s still so small.”

“Ta,” Sicheng pointed at Ten.

“That’s me,” Ten smiled.

“I’m sorry I dragged you out here,” Taeyong said. “Sicheng wasn’t happy spending all day with me. He likes you, though.”

Ten rolled his eyes. “I’m sure he enjoys spending time with you, but he’s not used to being away from Yuta for so long. It’s okay,” he replied. He stopped and then continued: “And _of course_ he likes me. I’m his favorite uncle.”

“Who said you could call yourself his uncle?”

“Me,” Ten answered, dropping the last toys into the box. “I’m also the best uncle.”

“Best?” Taeyong questioned.

“ _Mhm_.”

“Doyoung was the uncle that bought this huge playmat for Sicheng. What did you get him? Wasn’t it a onesie that was too small for him?” Taeyong teased.

Ten frowned. “Look, how was I supposed to know Sicheng wears ten month clothing now? That store didn’t even give me my money back,” he defended. “And Doyoung is _Doyoung_. It’s not right to compare us.”

“Ta!” Sicheng exclaimed, looking back at Ten.

“See?” Ten asked. “He loves me.”

Taeyong looked down at Sicheng. “Sicheng-ah, do you love Ten?”

“Ta,” Sicheng replied cutely.

* * *

 

Yuta was welcomed back with open arms.

It was nice to be in a familiar place. When he arrived, it was like he had never left. He did his morning routine, which was only a little different than he was used to but it was alright. He saw a few new doctors and nurses roaming the halls, but Taeil was quick to point out who was who and what they did. There were some employees that had left, and Yuta found that out through Taeil as well.

“It’s been an empty seven months without you, Yuta,” Taeil confessed. “I thought I was going to go crazy, having to deal with those snarky doctors every day.”

“Hyung,” Yuta said, “you have your own voice.”

“Yes but you’re so much better. I think they’re secretly scared of you.”

Yuta rolled his eyes. Taeil had always been a kind person and when certain doctors became a little too rude, it had been Yuta who answered back, defending himself and Taeil. “Just because they’re doctors doesn’t mean they have the right to talk down to you the way they do.”

“How’s your baby?” Taeil asked, desperate to change the subject.

“He’s six, almost seven months,” Yuta said, the image of Sicheng popping into his head. “He’s the cutest baby, really.”

“Do you have any pictures?”

“Of course.”

Yuta reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He brought up a photo of Sicheng. He had taken some pictures a few days ago to send to Yifei, as she was curious how Sicheng was growing up. Sicheng had been playing with Taeyong and he looked happy in the picture, looking up at Taeyong with wide eyes and a gummy smile.

Taeil looked at the screen and smiled. “He is cute,” he said. “Is he crawling or talking yet?”

Yuta put away the phone, thinking about it. “He started crawling about a week ago. He’s a slow crawler, but with time, I’m sure he’ll be able to move around quickly,” he continued, “As for talking, he does call me and Taeyong _pa_ now, and he says combinations of few syllables. He won’t be able to say an actual word for a while, though. We’re working on it.”

The older nodded. “That’s interesting,” he murmured. “You must be very happy. You’ve been talking about having a kid since you first started working here.”

Yuta laughed. “I have, haven’t I?” He smiled. “I am happy. I finally have the family I wanted since I was younger. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

Taeil smiled, but before he could say anything, he was called away by a nurse. He left Yuta, promising to find him during their lunch break.

 

Yuta went about his day like he used to. He checked on patients, filed paperwork, and assisted doctors in surgery preparations. Taeil had texted him and said he was unavailable for lunch, so Yuta only grabbed a small lunch from the hospital cafeteria and went back to work.

Halfway through his afternoon rounds, his phone vibrated from the pocket of his pants.

> From TY:
> 
> babe ㅠ sicheng misses u, he can’t even look at me right now. ㅠㅠ help me

Yuta chuckled and quickly typed back a response.

“Yuta?” a nurse called from the front desk. “Sooyoung needs you to take over some things.”

He nodded and looked back at his phone, typing another message before pocketing the device and heading towards the desk to see what he was needed for.

 

It was almost eight o’clock when Yuta pulled into the driveway and made his way to the front door. His feet were killing him and he there was still about a thousand things he needed to do before even thinking of going to sleep.

He pushed open the front door and took off his shoes, placing them beside Taeyong’s. He dropped his keys in the bowl and made his way into the living room. It was clean, or as clean as it could be considering that Sicheng’s playmat took up the whole space and there was always a few toys scattered around. That being said, Yuta spotted three of Sicheng’s toys in the middle of the playmat.

He could hear Taeyong talking to someone from the kitchen. It was muffled, but by the sound of his voice, high pitched and very, very sweet, Yuta assumed he was speaking to Sicheng.

As he made his way to the kitchen, Taeyong’s words became more clear and coherent.

“Sicheng-ah, I know you want to stay up to see Papa, but you have to go to bed now,” Taeyong was saying. “It’s not good for you to stay up so late. Please don’t be difficult with me, baby.”

Yuta walked into the kitchen and saw Taeyong’s back. He was facing the high chair where Sicheng was undoubtedly sitting, refusing to let himself be pulled out.

“Taeyong?”

The older man turned around and sighed. “Yuta, you’re here,” he breathed.

He moved to the side and Sicheng came into his line of sight. “Sicheng!” Yuta exclaimed happily, smile forming on his face.

“Pa, pa, pa,” Sicheng cried, pointing at Yuta.

Yuta had never seen Sicheng so excited, it made his heart flutter inside his chest. He walked over and as soon as he was in front of the high chair, Sicheng began reaching out, whining, telling Yuta that he wanted to be picked up.

Yuta complied, reaching under Sicheng’s armpits to pull him out of the high chair. “I missed you, Sicheng-ah,” Yuta whispered, kissing Sicheng’s chubby cheeks and making him giggle. He held Sicheng higher than usual so they were face to face. “Did you miss me, too?”

Sicheng giggled at the face Yuta pulled and began talking, small hands coming up to squish Yuta’s cheeks. He dropped his hands after a moment and resorted to grabbing onto the collar of Yuta’s shirt.

“You seem excited to see me,” Yuta commented, looking at Taeyong, who had begun picking up the table.

“I’m tired,” Taeyong complained. He stopped and turned to look at Yuta. “I don’t know how you’ve done this everyday for the last six and a half months.”

“My poor baby,” Yuta said teasingly.

Taeyong pouted and continued to quietly pick up the table.

“I’m going to put Sicheng to bed. It’s way past his bedtime.” Yuta looked at Sicheng, who was quietly watching their exchange. “Right, Sicheng?”

He replied with a string of syllables, which Yuta translated into a ‘ _yes dad_ ’.

Before leaving the kitchen, he walked over to Taeyong, who was beginning to wash the dishes. “Say goodnight to _appa_ ,” Yuta said.

Taeyong stopped what he was doing and leaned in to kiss Sicheng on the forehead. “Good night, Sicheng,” he said sweetly. He turned his head, showing Sicheng the left side of his face. “Can I have a goodnight kiss?”

Yuta laughed when Sicheng just looked at Taeyong’s cheek. “Sicheng, _ppoppo_ ,” Yuta said. He held Sicheng with one arm and brought his free hand up to poke his cheek as he repeated the Korean word. Sicheng looked up at Yuta, confused, and then back at Taeyong. Yuta leaned in and kissed Taeyong’s cheek quickly, pulling back and looking at Sicheng. “ _Ppoppo_.”

Sicheng only reached out and placed his small hand on Taeyong’s cheek, looking up at Yuta for reassurance. Yuta smiled, and Sicheng smiled. Sicheng then threw himself towards Taeyong and Yuta had to quickly grab him with both hands to keep him from falling out of his grasp. He opened his mouth and placed it on Taeyong’s cheek, giving him a very sloppy, open mouthed kiss.

Taeyong laughed loudly, eyes screwing shut as Sicheng practically drooled all over his cheek in his attempt to give his dad a goodnight kiss. “Thank you, Sicheng!” Taeyong exclaimed once Sicheng had pulled away.

Taeyong’s enthusiastic response was enough to make Sicheng happy and eager to give more kisses out to both his dads. Yuta asked for a kiss and received one just as sloppy and open mouthed as the one Taeyong had gotten. 

Taeyong kissed Sicheng on the forehead one more time and then Yuta took him upstairs. The nursery was extremely clean, meaning Taeyong had cleaned the room thoroughly. Yuta didn’t really like cleaning, but he did work a little harder to keep rooms where Sicheng played, like the nursery and living room, cleaner than usual, but Taeyong had really outdone him with this one. It was  _pristine._

Yuta changed Sicheng and rocked him in his arms for a while, singing a Japanese lullaby his mother used to sing him. When Sicheng was half-asleep, Yuta set him in the crib and made sure to take out anything that wasn’t supposed to be in the crib. He placed the few stuffed animals and blankets he pulled from the crib aside, and double checked the baby monitor on the dresser.

Once he was sure Sicheng was asleep, he made his way out and into his and Taeyong’s bedroom.

Taeyong was already pulling back the covers, dressed in nothing but sweats. Yuta resisted the urge to look at him for too long.

“You have fun at work?” he asked, glancing up at Yuta.

“Taeil filled me in on all the gossip,” Yuta joked. He headed towards the dresser and pulled a pair of shorts out with a t-shirt. He quickly changed and turned around to find Taeyong lying in bed, staring at him. “What?”

“I missed you,” Taeyong said.

Yuta rolled his eyes. “I wasn’t gone that long,” he replied, making his way to the bed. He laid down, turning on his side, away from Taeyong. He closed his eyes and sighed. He was tired, and he was sure he would knock out in the next five minutes.

But the moment Taeyong sidled up to him from behind, Yuta knew he wasn’t going to sleep anytime soon.

“Not like that,” Taeyong whispered, his warm breath fanning across Yuta’s nape.

“Taeyong,” Yuta said firmly. “What do you think you’re doing?”

He felt Taeyong drape his arms over his abdomen and then Taeyong’s hands slipped under the shirt Yuta was wearing, cold fingers coming in contact with Yuta’s skin. Taeyong’s lips attached themselves to Yuta’s nape and Yuta felt a chill go down his neck. It tickled.

Yuta giggled—he _giggled—_ , and turned around so he was looking at Taeyong. “Taeyong,” he whined after processing what Taeyong _really_ wanted. “Please, I’m tired. I have to work tomorrow.”

Taeyong pouted. “But I love you.”

“And I love you,” Yuta replied. “I thought you were tired?”

“I was,” Taeyong murmured, “but then you changed in plain sight. Have you been working out again? I mean, your _back–_ ”

“Taeyong,” Yuta scoffed. “What the hell? That’s extremely inappropriate.”

“I love you,” Taeyong restated. “More than anything in this world. Except maybe Sicheng. I love him the most.”

Yuta looked at Taeyong for a moment. “Okay, I’m going to sleep.”

“Yuta, please,” Taeyong pleaded.

“You’re twenty-six, not sixteen,” Yuta said but allowed Taeyong to pull him closer.

Taeyong didn’t say anything. Instead he leaned in and left small kisses against Yuta’s jawline, down to his neck, and then his collarbones. Taeyong’s fingers pressed hard onto the skin of Yuta’s hip. Yuta felt himself get goosebumps with every touch.

He kissed Yuta’s lips slowly, softly. His hands slipped under the waistband of Yuta’s shorts.

And then he pulled away.

Yuta opened his eyes and was met with a very smiley Taeyong.

“Okay, you’re right. I’m tired, you’re tired,” Taeyong said. “We should sleep. Good night, baby.”

Before Yuta could say anything, Taeyong turned around and the lights turned off.

Yuta lied there, staring at Taeyong’s back for a few seconds. “ _Taeyong_ ,” he hissed, “you’re unbelievable.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's been forever, i'm sorry! ;; i had this written but then i had no internet, then i started school on the 29th so i was extremely busy ;; & then i read it & didn't like it, so this is a rewrite of what i had.   
> i'm _so_ sorry if i take forever to update this story. i'll try to update as much as i can. (also, sorry if there's any mistakes! i didn't have time to look it over properly.)  
>  thank you for all your support with this fic. i sincerely appreciate it! thank you!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuta has been upset for several days and Taeyong finds out why.

Taeyong noticed that Yuta was acting unusual. It wasn’t really a big deal at first. Yuta was just a little quieter and he seemed to be out of it whenever Taeyong was with him, not paying attention to him (or Sicheng) and completely zoning out.

At first Taeyong thought something had happened to Yuta’s family in Japan, but if something about his family was bothering him, Yuta would’ve said so right away. Then Taeyong thought it was about his job. Yuta liked his job but Taeyong knew that Yuta had seen things that no person ever wanted to and sometimes it could get to him. But that wasn’t it, Taeyong could tell. Yuta also would’ve told him about something like that. It couldn’t have been something about Sicheng, because Sicheng was fine, as happy as he had ever been.

In the end, he had written it off as Yuta just being in a weird mood but when it went on for a few days, he couldn’t help but wonder if he had done something wrong to make him act so indifferent. Taeyong couldn’t get any response from Yuta no matter what he did. He tried asking him many times but was always met with the dull answer of “ _I’m fine_ ” even though he clearly wasn’t. Taeyong even asked their friends if Yuta had mentioned anything that could explain why he was being closed off, but they had said that Yuta seemed like his usual self; Ten told Taeyong that he was just overthinking it. But Taeyong knew he wasn’t.

It was like a wall that was never there before had been built and Taeyong didn’t know how to get around it. Yuta seemed distanced and it was really worrying him.

When Taeyong walked in the house after work that night, he saw that the lights in the kitchen were on and he could hear Yuta’s voice coming from inside.

He stopped himself from going inside as he noticed Yuta was on the phone and he sounded really distressed. Taeyong wasn’t one to eavesdrop but when he heard his name, he couldn’t help but stay put to listen to what Yuta was saying.

“Taeyong wouldn’t do that,” he was saying. Yuta sounded really upset and Taeyong just wanted to go to him and ask what was wrong, but he didn’t. Yuta took a deep breath. “We’re married and we have Sicheng, there’s no way–” He stopped talking and Taeyong held his breath for a moment. “He’d never.”

Taeyong was confused. He wanted to know what Yuta was talking about. It hurt him to see Yuta so worked up over something, especially something about him. But he also knew that Yuta would be annoyed if he knew that Taeyong had been listening to his conversation.

Instead of walking into the kitchen, he quietly backtracked and went upstairs.

Sicheng was in his crib and wide awake. He was quiet but when he saw Taeyong appear, he began babbling like he normally did. Taeyong smiled down at him and picked him up, holding him tightly and kissing his chubby cheeks several times. “Did you just wake up from your nap?” Taeyong asked, pinching his little face.

Sicheng pushed his arms away, a frown on his face. The past few weeks, Sicheng was beginning to show his dislike for such things. It was cute when Sicheng pouted after Taeyong pinched his cheeks, and it only made Taeyong want to do it more. He fussed for a bit but when Taeyong picked up a small toy from a shelf nearby, Sicheng immediately forgot what he was doing and reached for it. Once it was in his hand, he brought it to his mouth.

Taeyong laughed and carefully pried it out, telling Sicheng he shouldn’t do that.

When he turned around, he was surprised to see a very tired looking Yuta standing by the door. Taeyong smiled but was met with nothing.

“You’re home?” was what Yuta asked. There was no emotion on his face and Yuta made no effort to come and give Taeyong a kiss like he normally would have. It hurt Taeyong a little but he still smiled. Yuta looked exhausted and Taeyong figured he just wanted to rest. “You stayed at the company longer than usual,” Yuta added after a moment. He didn’t sound angry but there was just _something_ about the way he said it that made Taeyong feel guilty even though he hadn’t done anything wrong.

Taeyong’s smile fell from his face. “Yeah,” he said awkwardly. Sicheng’s hand grabbed at Taeyong’s face and he was beginning to squirm in his grasp. Taeyong lifted Sicheng higher on his hip and cleared his throat. “There was a last minute meeting. I thought I texted you. Didn’t you see it?”

“I must not have gotten it,” Yuta replied.

Yuta was looking at him with a different kind of look. He didn’t believe it. Taeyong could tell that Yuta was suspicious, like Taeyong was lying about the meeting even though any of his colleagues could confirm it if asked. He didn’t know what Yuta was thinking but there was a guilty feeling settling in his chest. He wanted to tell Yuta that he really was at a meeting, that there was no need to doubt him.

But all Taeyong could do was look away.

 

Taeyong was stressed.

No. He was beyond that. He was overwhelmingly stressed.

“Taeyong, please,” Yuta said. He sounded tired and Taeyong was beginning to notice that that was how Yuta sounded these days.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t,” Taeyong answered, feeling his heart sink when Yuta simply sighed.

He didn’t say anything for a while and Taeyong waited. “Okay,” he finally said. It was one word but it slapped Taeyong in the face with such force. “I’ll call you later.”

Yuta didn’t say anything else and Taeyong sighed. “I’m sorry.”

“I have to go now. I’ll see you at home.” Taeyong was met with silence right after and he tossed his phone onto his desk, hating the fact that Yuta hung up without even saying goodbye properly.

Taeyong was really starting to believe that he had done something wrong. Yuta was starting to talk back when Taeyong said anything to him. They weren’t really the couple to argue about things, only a few times when they were first dating, but they had had more arguments in the past week than they had in their entire relationship. It felt like if Taeyong said anything about something, Yuta would snap back at him and of course, Taeyong would retaliate.

The day before, when Taeyong said that he didn’t want to go the wedding of one of Yuta’s juniors, Yuta accused him of not caring about anything Yuta said and Taeyong answered back. But after a while, Yuta stopped being snarky and instead, he told Taeyong he didn’t care and that Taeyong could do whatever he wanted. He hadn’t yelled or acted angry about it after that; he just seemed done with Taeyong, way beyond the point of caring.

And now, another argument was beginning to bubble up. He knew that Yuta couldn’t pick up Sicheng from Jaehyun’s everyday of the week but neither could he. The company was preparing for an upcoming deal with an important client and there were several meetings he needed to attend beforehand. While Taeyong usually could get out of most meetings to pick up Sicheng when Yuta couldn’t, these meetings were important and it would affect the company’s future, and therefore, affect Taeyong’s job. There was no way out of it.

He hated the fact that he couldn’t go home at the time he usually did and he knew that while Jaehyun and Doyoung said it was completely fine, they were busy people and Taeyong didn’t want babysitting Sicheng to become a burden.

He didn’t like that he couldn’t be there for Yuta when he was needed, that he couldn’t be there for Sicheng when he was needed but it was difficult for him to always be there. He wanted to be but it just wasn’t possible.

In all sincerity, Taeyong felt like he was lacking both as a husband and as a father recently. He was disappointing his family over and over again, and the effects of it were beginning to become obvious. Yuta was obviously bothered with him and while Sicheng couldn’t really express how he was feeling, Taeyong knew that he was being missed.

The stress of it all was beginning to weigh down on him. He wanted to fix it but he didn’t know how and that by far was the most stressful thing.

After a while of sitting there, blaming himself for letting down Yuta again, Taeyong picked up his phone and with a sigh, he called Jaehyun.

“Jaehyun-ah, do you think you can take care of Sicheng a little longer than usual?” he asked once Jaehyun had picked up. “Yuta and I won’t get out until later. I’ll pick him up as soon as I’m out of work.”

Jaehyun hesitated for a moment. “Ah, I’m sure Doyoung and I can push back our schedule today. There should be no problem.”

Taeyong let out a deep breath. “Thank you, Jaehyun, thank you so much. I get out at six today and I should be there before seven. I hope this didn’t ruin your plans for tonight.”

“It’s fine, hyung,” Jaehyun said and Taeyong knew that Jaehyun was smiling sincerely. “Don’t worry about it.”

Taeyong thanked Jaehyun several more times before he hung up. He still had one more chance to prove he wasn’t a complete let down, even if it was to himself.

 

It was six thirty and Taeyong was barely rushing out of the building and trying to get to his car, which was unfortunately parked on the other side of the parking lot. He would’ve gotten out at six but the meeting had run longer than it should have and Taeyong really didn’t want to tell his supervisor to let him go early. He had seen what happened to several of his colleagues that asked such questions and he didn’t want to be on the woman’s bad side any time soon.

He fumbled with his keys for a while and when he finally got in and closed the door, the clock on his phone said it was six thirty-five.

Jaehyun had texted him earlier, asking if he was on his way and Taeyong had quickly typed out a “ _Yes I’m more than halfway there_ ” despite still being inside the meeting room listening to idea proposals and ways to get the best out of the upcoming deal.

Taeyong calculated the quickest way to Jaehyun’s inside his head as he was pulling out of the parking space. He knew that Jaehyun wouldn’t be upset if Taeyong was a little late but Taeyong knew it would only push back Jaehyun and Doyoung’s plans and Yuta would be bothered by the fact when he found out from Jaehyun.

He was really pushing it these days. He had been messing up everything and there would be a point where all his mistakes would come back and bite him.

Taeyong was impatient and though he was normally a calm driver, he was in a hurry. He really, really didn’t want to disappoint but it seemed as if that was the only option for him recently.

 

“I’m sorry I’m late,” Taeyong practically yelled as soon as Doyoung opened the door.

Doyoung looked taken aback by Taeyong’s exclamation. Taeyong noticed that his friend was dressed in something formal and the guilt slapped him in the face.

“I’m so sorry I’m late,” he said.

“It’s fine, hyung,” Doyoung replied. He smiled warmly but it didn’t get rid of the guilt inside Taeyong. “Sicheng is playing in the living room. I’ll go get him.”

Taeyong waited by the front door as Doyoung went back inside.

It was almost seven twenty and Yuta was probably on his way home. He would come home and find the house empty and again, Taeyong would have to explain just why he was late. Yuta used to write it off and say it was fine, of course it was fine, because Taeyong worked hard and sometimes it wasn’t possible to pick Sicheng up before six. But now, Yuta was ignoring it and acting like it didn’t matter, even though they both knew it did. Taeyong’s explanation was now just an overused excuse that barely sounded believable even to his own ears.

When Doyoung came back, Sicheng was in his arms and Sicheng’s bag was slung on Doyoung’s shoulder. Taeyong took Sicheng and then grabbed the bag. Sicheng looked overjoyed to see Taeyong, like it had been years since he had seen him, and it made Taeyong feel a little sad. He gave Sicheng a kiss and Sicheng returned it, surprising Taeyong as he sloppily pressing his lips to his face.

“Thank you so much for taking care of him today,” Taeyong said, turning back to Doyoung. “I owe you and Jaehyun one.”

“I promise I will hold that against you until you treat us to a meal,” Doyoung said teasingly. Taeyong didn’t think it was funny and Doyoung seemed to noticed that it. “Hyung, it’s alright, you really don’t have to do anything,” he added in a softer tone. “We don’t mind taking care of Sicheng. We know you work hard and so does Yuta. We’ll always be here for Sicheng when you can’t be.”

Taeyong hoped that Doyoung didn’t notice the way he frowned at the comment. _We’ll always be here for Sicheng when you can’t be._ He was sure that Doyoung didn’t mean it to make Taeyong feel sorry about being late, but that was how Taeyong felt.

“I really do owe you guys one,” Taeyong replied. He tried his best to smile. “I’ll call you tomorrow. Have fun on your date.”

 

The car ride home was quiet. Sicheng had been talking, saying things that didn’t make sense, for the first few minutes but he had fallen asleep a short while afterwards.

Taeyong watched as the minutes went by and the feeling in his chest got heavier and heavier with each additional minute. His phone had rang twice already and there were several text notifications from Yuta on the screen. Taeyong had muted it when they were at a stoplight when Sicheng was whining in his sleep.

When Taeyong finally turned the car off in the driveway, he felt the lowest he had the entire day. Sicheng was still sleeping in the back seat. His phone lit up one more time from its place on the passenger seat and he looked over to read Yuta’s text.

_Are you almost home?_

Taeyong didn’t make a move to grab the device and reply. Instead, he looked at the house.

The living room lights were on and he saw that the bedroom lights upstairs were on as well. Yuta was inside, most likely annoyed and worried, and Taeyong was outside, in the car, too scared to face him.

He sat there for a few minutes, building up the strength to get out of the car. He grabbed Sicheng’s things and then carefully picked Sicheng up from his car seat, careful not to wake him.

Taeyong walked up to the front door and fumbled with his keys before successfully opening the door. Yuta was there, at the bottom of the stairs.

“I was just coming to open it,” Yuta said, making his way over. He reached for Sicheng and Taeyong let him take the sleeping child. Yuta didn’t say anything else. He didn’t come closer and Taeyong knew that he wouldn’t get a welcome home kiss for what seemed like the hundredth night in a row. He was beginning to think that he would never get one again.

“Alright,” Taeyong murmured, throwing his keys onto the table beside the front door. He took off his shoes and kicked them to the side.

Yuta didn’t walk away. He stood there, looking at Taeyong. There was obvious tension between them and Taeyong was beginning to feel frustrated.

“Where were you?” Yuta finally asked. “I was calling you.”

“I was driving,” Taeyong answered. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Yuta sighed. “I’m going to put Sicheng upstairs. There’s food in the kitchen, if you want.”

Taeyong nodded and watched as Yuta walked away with Sicheng. He sighed himself and after a moment of thinking, he walked right past the kitchen and followed Yuta up the stairs. He was just tired.

He went into the bedroom and began getting ready to sleep. Yuta would be in Sicheng’s room for a while making sure Sicheng was fully asleep and probably just staying in there to avoid being alone with Taeyong. It was starting to become obvious and Taeyong hoped that Yuta would just stop.

Taeyong got into bed and laid there. He turned away from the door, not wanting to see Yuta when he walked back in. He stared at the wall instead, stared at one of the many picture frames with one of their engagement pictures. Yuta looked happy in the picture. He looked at peace and it made Taeyong hurt. Yuta was holding Taeyong’s hand and looking at him with the softest of smiles. Taeyong hadn’t seen Yuta smile in days and he could barely remember the last time he had.

Yuta walked in almost fifteen minutes later. “Taeyong, can we talk?” Yuta asked. There was something about the way Yuta sounded that made Taeyong feel heartbroken. “Taeyong, I know you’re still awake.”

He didn’t acknowledge Yuta. He _couldn’t_ acknowledge him. He felt like they would start off talking but end up yelling, and he really didn’t want to get into an argument with Yuta. He knew that it was wrong of him but he also didn’t want to put them in that situation.

“Alright,” Yuta said when Taeyong didn’t answer. “I guess we’ll talk tomorrow.”

Taeyong felt his heart break and when Yuta left the bedroom without saying anything else, Taeyong let himself cry for the first time in a while.

 

When Taeyong woke up, Yuta was gone and when he checked, Yuta’s car was also gone. There was no note and there was no text. There was nothing to let Taeyong know where Yuta had gone. There wasn’t even a sign that let Taeyong know Yuta had even slept in their room. Taeyong felt bothered by it but quickly put the feeling aside when Sicheng started crying.

It was his day off and for once, he could enjoy being with Sicheng the entire day and not have to worry about anything else.

Sicheng seemed pleased to be with Taeyong and he stopped crying after being picked up. After feeding him and giving him a bath, Sicheng seemed as playful as ever. He crawled around the living room, giggling and smiling.

Taeyong let himself enjoy the feeling of being happy, realizing that he had been missing it. He pinched Sicheng’s cheeks and kissed him despite Sicheng yelling every time he did.

“Does my baby not like kisses?” Taeyong asked, sticking out his lower lip when Sicheng pushed his face away. “Do you not want my kisses?”

Sicheng giggled and crawled away from him. Taeyong followed him and grabbed him, pulling him onto his lap.

“Sicheng-ah, do you want some kisses?” Taeyong asked sweetly. He leaned in and gave Sicheng a quick peck on the forehead and Sicheng looked displeased with the sudden show of affection. Sicheng squirmed in Taeyong’s grasp so Taeyong helped him up into a standing position on the floor in front of him, holding him up.

His little hands reached out and squished Taeyong’s cheeks together. Sicheng spouted some random syllables but the frown on his face was enough to tell Taeyong that Sicheng was trying to scold him. Taeyong set Sicheng down and the ten month old sat in front of Taeyong, still scolding him.

“Sicheng-ah, I’m sorry,” Taeyong said when Sicheng had finally finished. “I’m sorry that I was late picking you up yesterday. You’re not mad are you?”

Sicheng didn’t answer. He just stuck his hand in his mouth and Taeyong smiled sadly.

“I promise I will try harder to be a better dad to you, okay?” Taeyong continued, “I know you don’t understand many things yet, but I’ll make sure that when you’re old enough, you don’t feel guilty for the mistakes I make.”

The feeling hit Taeyong hard and he felt tears begin to build in his eyes as he looked at Sicheng, who stared back at him innocently. He was completely oblivious to the change in his and Yuta’s relationship. Sicheng didn’t care about the problems Taeyong was facing; he didn’t understand them, of course, Sicheng was just happy if he was with them.

He tried blinking the tears away. He had cried last night for what felt like a good fifteen minutes but that was by himself. He couldn’t cry in front of Sicheng right now. He was too young to see Taeyong like that and it would only confuse him. Sicheng looked at him curiously. He was smart enough to know that Taeyong’s mood had changed. Taeyong had never been like this in front of him and Sicheng probably wanted to know what this meant.

“Sicheng-ah, I really am sorry for my mistakes,” Taeyong barely whispered.

“Ppa?” Sicheng said softly.

Taeyong looked to the side, away from Sicheng, as the first tears began to fall from his eyes. Taeyong tried to hold them back, bringing his hands up to wipe them away but they just kept coming. He held his breath, hoping that he wouldn’t start sobbing or sniffling. He wiped away as many tears as he could before Sicheng could see he was crying.

Sicheng noticed immediately however and he quickly crawled onto Taeyong’s lap and pulled himself up by grabbing at Taeyong’s shirt.

Once again, Sicheng brought his little hands to Taeyong’s cheeks and squished them together but this time, Sicheng was not scolding him or frowning. Instead, Sicheng was looking at him with wide eyes filled with confusion. He didn’t understand and even if Taeyong tried to explain, he wouldn’t know.

“Ppa,” Sicheng pouted. He lifted his small hands from Taeyong’s face and then simply just placed them on his cheeks, right under his eyes. After a moment, Taeyong realized that Sicheng was trying to stop Taeyong’s tears. He was trying to copy how they wiped away his tears when he cried.

Taeyong let out a shaky breath and felt himself begin to calm down. Sicheng still looked curious, but now, he also looked sad and it hurt Taeyong’s heart.

“I’m sorry, Sicheng-ah,” Taeyong said softly, grabbing Sicheng’s hands and holding them in his. “I promise I’m fine.”

Sicheng looked up at him, still pouting. Taeyong kissed Sicheng’s forehead and for once, Sicheng didn’t look bothered by it.

“Ppa,” Sicheng repeated. There was a long string of syllables afterward and Taeyong hoped that it was Sicheng trying to comfort him.

“Hey, I really am okay,” Taeyong said only for Sicheng to protest and continue whatever he was saying. After a minute, Sicheng stopped talking and looked at Taeyong. Taeyong smiled and leaned over to give Sicheng another kiss, being met with a protest and a displeased face.

 

Taeyong was feeding Sicheng when Yuta walked into the kitchen. The younger man looked alarmed when he saw Taeyong sitting by Sicheng’s high chair. Taeyong stopped what he was doing, holding Sicheng’s spoon in the air and Sicheng began to whine, wanting Taeyong to pay attention to him again.

“Hey,” Taeyong said. He cleared his throat. He set down the small bowl that had the food he was feeding Sicheng and put it aside with the spoon. It was only five o’clock. “I thought you were coming home later.”

Yuta stared at him for a few seconds. “I got out a little early,” he said quietly. He turned away, ready to walk out of the kitchen, but he turned around and opened his mouth. He seemed to forget what he was going to say and closed his mouth quickly. “I’ll be right back,” he informed and then turned back around, walking out.

Taeyong watched as he disappeared into the other room and then focused on Sicheng, who had resorted to playing with the small pieces of strawberry that were on the high chair’s tray.

“Sicheng!” Taeyong exclaimed playfully, playing along with him. He didn’t need Sicheng to see him act sullen like he had been earlier. “Don’t play with your food.”

He pried the pieces of strawberry from Sicheng’s hands and put them aside, much to Sicheng’s dismay. He picked up the bowl and went back to feeding Sicheng, who was making grabby hands at the spoon that Taeyong wouldn’t let him grab. He had last time and Sicheng ended up waving the spoon around and made a mess.

Yuta came back a few minutes later. He didn’t say anything. Taeyong looked at him from the corner of his eye. Yuta picked up a bag of chips that was on the counter and grabbed a glass of water before coming and sitting across Taeyong.

Sicheng had finished his food and Taeyong had given him more strawberries, even though Sicheng would only play with the food and end up throwing it on the floor. He looked down at the floor, starting to count how many pieces Sicheng would throw on the ground before he became tired and wanted to get out of his chair. Taeyong counted fifteen before Sicheng began whining.

Without a word, Taeyong stood up and took Sicheng from his chair. He left the kitchen and went upstairs. Before putting Sicheng in his crib for his nap, he cleaned him up, changing him into more comfortable clothes and wiping his sticky face and hands.

Taeyong went back downstairs and Yuta was no longer in the kitchen, but in the living room. Taeyong began cleaning the floor where Sicheng’s chair was, picking up all the food that Sicheng had dropped and then wiped down the tray. When he walked out, he saw that Yuta hadn’t moved at all. He looked like he was thinking about something and finally, finally Taeyong built up the courage.

“What are you thinking about?” he asked as he sat down on the couch. Yuta blinked, a look of confusion on his face. “Tell me.”

Yuta turned away again. He shrugged. “I don’t know,” he replied. There wasn’t any sign of any ill feelings towards Taeyong. He just sounded... _drained_. “I’m thinking about you, me…”

Taeyong nodded. “Anything in particular?” he questioned.

“Can I ask you something? Like, seriously?” Yuta countered. Taeyong mumbled a _yes_ and Yuta let out a deep breath. “Are you seeing someone, Taeyong? Someone that isn’t me?”

Taeyong was taken aback by the question. He frowned. “What?”

Is that what was bothering Yuta this entire time? Did he think Taeyong was being _unfaithful_?

“Answer me honestly, Taeyong.” Yuta looked up at him. He was serious.

“Honestly?” Taeyong breathed.

“Yes. Honestly.”

Taeyong gave Yuta a hard look. He was baffled that Yuta had even thought this was happening. “Honestly, I don’t know why you would ever think that. I’m not _cheating_ on you, Yuta. Oh my God, do you really think I would do something like that to you?” Taeyong’s tone sounded angry even though he really wasn’t, and Yuta immediately looked defensive.

“I’m just trying to ask you a question, Taeyong. There’s no need to raise your voice.”

“Can I ask you a question?” Taeyong asked. Without waiting for Yuta to answer, he asked: “Do you really think that low of me?”

“I don’t know why you’re being so defensive about this. I only asked for you to give me an honest answer.”

“And I did! What else do you want from me, Yuta?” Taeyong scoffed. “My God, I can’t believe you would think of me doing something like that. Do you think I’m that bad of a person?”

Now Yuta looked angry. “Well, I wouldn’t be surprised. You did it before so what are the chances of you doing it again?” he accused, standing up from his seat.

Taeyong was beginning to get annoyed. Yuta didn’t need to say something like that. He knew how it made Taeyong feel. He stood up and took a step towards Yuta. “Do you think bringing up something from _six years ago_ is going to help you?” he asked bitterly.

“It doesn’t matter how long ago it was, Taeyong. I’m not putting myself through something like that again!” Yuta’s voice echoed in the living room. The air around them was tense and Taeyong felt like the sudden quiet was swallowing him whole.

“I’m not cheating on you. Why don’t you believe me?” Taeyong said exasperatedly. He was hurt, above all else, that Yuta had accused him of something like that.

“Because you haven’t given me reason to believe you wouldn’t,” Yuta answered reluctantly. “Don’t lie to me, Taeyong.”

Taeyong closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, inhaling deeply. “I’m not lying to you,” he murmured. “I haven’t ever been unfaithful to you in the time we’ve been married.” Taeyong sat back down. He was suddenly tired and the last thing he wanted was to yell at Yuta. He would just sit there and take whatever Yuta threw at him.

“Don’t lie to me, Taeyong,” Yuta repeated.

“Do you think I don’t know about what you did?” Taeyong asked quietly. Taeyong’s question obviously surprised Yuta, as he didn’t reply and the look on his face seemed to softened. “I heard about everything you did after I graduated. I know I was a shitty boyfriend to you at the time but you really didn’t have to go around like that. You think you’re the only one who’s been hurt? How can you accuse me of being dishonest when you very well know that you’ve lied to me too?”

Yuta didn’t say anything. He wanted to, Taeyong could see that, but he didn’t. Taeyong sighed and covered his face with his hands, leaning back onto the couch.

It was wrong of Taeyong to bring that up but he had spit it out before he could stop himself. He did know that Yuta had done some things and at the time, it was like Taeyong’s entire world had been falling apart. He never asked Yuta about it once however, thinking it would be better to act like he never knew but he had finally confessed about knowing what happened and Yuta was probably feeling guilty.

“I think you should leave,” Yuta told him.

Taeyong didn’t even try to argue back. He stood up and quietly walked right past Yuta, not taking a chance to look back at him. Yuta didn’t move from his stop and when Taeyong opened the front door, Yuta didn’t come after him. Taeyong walked out and closed the door behind him.

 

Taeyong sat on the front porch for way too long. The sun had set and the porch light had turned on but he made no effort to get up. It was unusually cold outside for it only being August and Taeyong had gone outside without anything to keep him warm. And still, he was too afraid of going back inside and would rather be cold than be inside.

He didn’t know why he left at Yuta’s request. Was he supposed to leave? Is that what Yuta wanted from him? Or was he supposed to stay? Did Yuta want to see what he would do? He didn’t know and even after sitting outside for almost two hours, he still didn’t have the answer.

When he first went out, he thought about just leaving and staying away for the night. He thought about going to Johnny and Ten’s or even staying at a hotel to leave Yuta alone to calm down but those thoughts were tossed after he realized Johnny and Ten would ask him questions all night and Yuta would only have more reason to believe Taeyong was cheating when a hotel showed up on their bank statement.

So he stayed outside. He could go back inside at any time and if Yuta wanted to find him, he was right there. If worse came to worse, Taeyong would sleep in the guest bedroom downstairs.

Taeyong wasn’t waiting for Yuta to come looking for him but when Yuta opened the front door and stepped outside, Taeyong felt a little grateful. Yuta looked at him. The porch light was dim but Taeyong could see that Yuta’s eyes were a little red and swollen.

“Come back inside,” he said. It was a demand or a request. He didn’t sound angry anymore and Taeyong knew that if he refused to go back inside, Yuta would go back in without him. It would hurt him, but Yuta would because he wasn’t one to force Taeyong to do anything he didn’t want to.

Taeyong nodded. “Alright.”

He stood up and followed Yuta inside. Everything was still in its place but Taeyong noticed a box of tissues on the couch and a small pile of used tissues on the floor. Yuta began picking them up and Taeyong sat down in the same place he had sat before.

When Yuta was done, he sat back down, too. He was staring at his clasped hands and Taeyong wondered how long they would wait before the silence was broken.

It lasted five minutes and it was Yuta who talked first.

“Do you still feel the same about me, Taeyong?”

Taeyong barely heard the question. Yuta’s voice was so small and so unlike him, full of insecurity and sadness. Yuta finally turned to him. There was something in Yuta’s eyes that Taeyong could only describe as hope.

Taeyong took a deep breath. “I love you,” he said softly. “Why would you ever think that I don’t? Yuta… Yuta, you are the most important person in my life. I would never betray you.”

Everything made sense and Taeyong felt horrible for not realizing it earlier. Yuta’s distanced behavior the last few days, the conversation he had on the phone, him seemingly being suspicious of Taeyong… Yuta really thought Taeyong was seeing someone else. Taeyong felt his chest tighten. He regretted the first and only time he had done something like that. He had put Yuta through so much and even though Yuta managed to forgive him and they stayed together, Taeyong never wanted to see Yuta feel like that because of him. Yet here he was, seeing Yuta suffer again.

“Yuta,” Taeyong started.

“Taeyong, I’m sorry,” Yuta interrupted. His voice was shaking and Taeyong was shocked. Yuta had never sounded so troubled. Yuta rarely cried in front of anyone and seeing him just let that wall down in front of him so easily was surprising. “I know I’ve never been like this, but we’ve both gotten so much busier, and I know I should’ve believed you when you said it was work. I shouldn’t have ever doubted you, not even for a moment. I–”

“Yuta, it’s okay,” Taeyong cut him off. He quickly made his way to Yuta and reached for his hands as soon as he sat beside him. It was the first time he had held them in the last few days and Taeyong realized that he had missed it _so much_. “Yuta, don’t cry.”

Taeyong moved his hands and cupped Yuta’s face, wiping away the tears with his thumbs.

“I didn’t want to believe it was true, but the more you stayed late at work, the more anxious I got. There was just so many thoughts. I just wanted to be able to trust you, and I couldn’t,” Yuta explained shakily.

Taeyong could only frown. His chest felt heavier with every shaky breath Yuta took. “It’s okay, Yuta. I understand.”

Yuta looked at him with tears in his eyes. “I should’ve never accused you like that.”

“I love you,” Taeyong whispered, continuing to wipe Yuta’s tears away. “Yuta, when I married you, I vowed to love you and only you for the rest of my life. I told you that I didn’t ever see myself being with anyone but you. Do you remember that?”

Yuta nodded. “I remember,” he answered softly.

“Then why are you so worried?” Taeyong asked. He dropped his hands from Yuta’s face and grabbed Yuta’s hands tightly. “You’re the only person I love.”

Taeyong wrapped his arms around Yuta and they stayed like that for a while. Yuta was beginning to calm down and Taeyong knew that it was okay, they were okay.

“I’m sorry,” Yuta apologized as he pulled away. He suddenly looked shy and embarrassed. His tears were drying on his pink cheeks and his eyes were a little swollen. “I guess I’m still how I was back when we first got together.”

“It’s my fault for making you feel like that,” Taeyong confessed. The last he wanted was for Yuta to blame himself. Taeyong had been the sole reason of Yuta’s distress and he needed Yuta to know he shouldn’t blame himself. “It’s been very stressful for me lately and instead of talking to you, I made the mistake of keeping it to myself.”

“I guess you haven’t changed much either.”

Taeyong looked away. It wasn’t his best trait and they both knew that.

“I’ll be a better husband to you,” he promised sincerely, remembering how he had felt the last two weeks. “I know that I haven’t been that great to you or Sicheng, and I’m sorry.”

Yuta leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “You’re already the best,” Yuta told him. “I love you.”

When Yuta said that, Taeyong felt every single ounce of stress be lifted from his shoulders.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello it's been like 100 years since this fic was updated... i don't know if people are still reading this fic ha... ha.... i apologize for the long hiatus and i'll try to write more than i have been. i hope everyone reading enjoys this even though this entire chapter is...a mess. thank you for reading this :-)


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuta meets someone. Taeyong feels a little jealous so Yuta needs to remind him how much he loves him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> rated r scene ???? i've never written something like this, literally, uhhhh it's probably bad so... proceed with caution...

Yuta reached out to grab the can on the shelf. He placed it into the cart and continued pushing it down the aisle, looking at the things on the shelves mindlessly. He stopped a few times to grab some other things. In the cart seat, Sicheng was happily playing with one of his stuffed animals, a pacifier in his mouth.

Yuta hadn’t gone grocery shopping in a few weeks. Taeyong had taken over since he had more time. The hospital had been Yuta’s only priority recently, as sad as it was to say. His hours changed suddenly, and instead of working in the morning, he started in the evening and stayed until the morning. When he got home, Taeyong was already at work and Sicheng was at Jaehyun and Doyoung’s for the day, leaving him a few hours to sleep before getting up to go back to work.

But he had the night off, so he was getting in his much needed time with Sicheng. When Yuta got home in the morning, he allowed himself a few hours of sleep before going to Jaehyun’s to get Sicheng for the day.

Jaehyun had been surprised when he arrived. Sicheng had just gone down for a nap so Yuta waited and had lunch with Jaehyun. It was nice talking to Jaehyun.

Yuta learned that when he and Taeyong got Sicheng, Doyoung and Jaehyun had begun looking into adopting as well. Yuta was happy that his friends were looking towards adoption. He offered Jaehyun some help, telling him about their agency and how their process worked.

After talking for a few hours, Sicheng finally woke up and was more than ready to go once he saw Yuta. They said goodbye to Jaehyun and their day together started.

They had entered the grocery store after running a few errands.

Yuta didn’t know what they needed since he forgot Taeyong’s list on the kitchen counter but he would rather guess what they needed than drive all the way home to get the list.

He thought they were making progress. He had gotten Sicheng some snacks he liked and he got snacks for him and Taeyong to eat throughout the day. He picked out a few vegetables and fruits. He was getting other things he knew Taeyong used to cook.  A few more items and they would be ready to go home.

“Yuta?”

Yuta jumped slightly and turned away from the shelf where he was looking at pastas. He found the source of the voice. Yuta squinted, trying to place a name to the face. The man smiled and then it hit Yuta in the face.

“Hyun hyung?” He hadn’t seen him since they were in college. He looked the same, if not even more handsome.

Yuta remembered seeing him as a sophomore. He was the same age as him but was a year ahead, like Taeyong. Yuta thought he was one of the most handsome guys in the entire school. He met Hyun and a few of his friends through Johnny, who was good friends with all of them.

Back then, before he started dating Taeyong, Yuta did have something for Hyun. _A lot_ of things happened between them and those memories came surging into his mind. Yuta felt flustered, seeing him again after a long time. Judging by how he looked, Hyun had been good care of himself. He was dressed nicely, almost too nicely to be in the middle of the grocery store. His hair was done well and he looked very put together. Yuta almost felt embarrassed by himself. He probably looked a mess, wearing worn out jeans and one of Taeyong’s old shirts with spit up from earlier on it. 

“How are you? How’s it been?” Hyun asked. He smiled again and it was just as dazzling as the first time. 

Yuta smiled shyly, avoiding eye contact. “It’s been alright. I’m doing good.”

Hyun peeked behind him, at the cart. “Is that your baby brother, nephew?” he asked, motioning to Sicheng who was still playing with his stuffed animal.

“No, actually,” he said, “My son…”

“You have a son?” Hyun chuckled. “You always said you wouldn’t be the type to settle down so quickly and have kids. Funny how people change. How old are you now, twenty-six?”

He nodded. “Yeah, twenty-six...twenty-seven in October,” he replied quietly.

Yuta was extremely different in college. He had said and done things that he looked back on regretfully. He remembered saying that he didn’t want to get married or have kids until he was way older, if at all. He always rolled his eyes at the mention of being in a serious, committed relationship with someone and made fun of people who were in them. He recalled specifically telling Hyun that he would never be tied down so quickly. Back then, all Yuta wanted to do was hook up with people, drink, and go to parties. He was mortified, remembering how careless he was. Getting married and having a child was probably the best thing that Yuta had ever done.

Hyun studied him for a moment, making Yuta feel tense. The older motioned to his left hand. “So when did you get married?” he asked. He cleared his throat. “More importantly, _who_ did you marry?”

Yuta looked at his hand, the gold wedding band on his finger gleaming under the fluorescent lights of the grocery store. His mood immediately changed at the mention of him being married. He smiled. “I married Taeyong two, almost three years ago,” he replied.

“Taeyong? Lee?”

He nodded. Hyun raised his eyebrows.

“Didn’t think you two would last that long, if I’m being honest,” he said. “But I’m happy for you. I saw how happy Taeyong made you, and you deserve to be happy. He’s a lucky man.” He smiled at Yuta.

They talked for a few more minutes before he excused himself. He briefly pinched Sicheng’s cheeks and told Yuta that they should meet up another time before walking down the aisle and disappearing down another aisle.

The mere suggestion made Yuta all shy and flustered, just like he was in college.

Truthfully, his relationship with Hyun was never really serious. They never officially dated or anything, but there were a few occasions at the weekend parties where things escalated a little quicker than they should have. Yuta might have been intoxicated but he had clear memory of the things that happened. Of course, it only lasted a few weeks. 

Yuta met Taeyong shortly after and then they started dating a few weeks later. When Yuta met him, he changed completely. He didn’t want to do anything to someone that wasn’t Taeyong. He had gone back on all his words, forgetting about drinking and hooking up. He gave up that life to build another with the love of his life, and he would choose Taeyong and Sicheng over all that any day. Yet he still couldn’t help but wonder. 

The conversation got him so distracted, crowding his mind with countless thoughts, that when they got home fifteen minutes later and he was putting the groceries away, he realized that he forgot to get the pasta Taeyong had specifically asked for. He sighed and wrote it onto the list of things that Taeyong had to get next time.

 

Taeyong came home two hours later carrying a pizza box. He placed it on the kitchen counter and went right up to Yuta, kissing him. Before Yuta could greet him, Taeyong kissed him again. And again. And again.

“Taeyong, stop that,” Yuta laughed, sticking his hand in between them, stopping Taeyong from kissing him again. “You’re a little excited.”

“Of course I am! You have the night off,” Taeyong exclaimed, giving Yuta another kiss when he let his guard down. “I get to be with you tonight.”

“I’m sure you’ve missed sleeping with me,” Yuta teased.

Taeyong hit his shoulder playfully. “Not in front of our son, Yuta,” he said, faking seriousness. He glanced at Sicheng, who was in his high chair, eating strawberries. Yuta had placed his laptop on the dinner table and turned on a children’s show to entertain him while he cleaned the kitchen. He personally didn’t like letting Sicheng watch those children’s shows on the laptop since he was so young and didn’t like the idea of him being babysat by technology, but he had been playing with his food so he put it on for him to be entertained by something else that wasn’t the food he was supposed to eat. But at Taeyong’s arrival, Sicheng had diverted his attention and was looking at them curiously. Taeyong smiled, turning away from Yuta. “Look at my hungry baby!” he said, reaching for Sicheng.

Yuta rolled his eyes and reached for the pizza box. He had been thinking of making dinner but knew that Taeyong would probably stop and get something for them to eat. He was glad he thought correctly. 

Taeyong entertained Sicheng for a while before Yuta scolded him. “You always get him excited and then complain about how he won’t sleep until after you play with him,” he told him. “It’s getting close to his bedtime and he won’t want to sleep if he’s full of energy.”

“I’m sorry, baby,” Taeyong pouted, putting Sicheng back into his high chair. “Let’s eat then.”

Sicheng continued to chew on his strawberries, only tossing a few on the floor, and watching the show on the laptop. In between telling Sicheng to not play with his food and eating their own food, they talked about each other’s day. Taeyong told him about his job and talked about things his coworkers were doing. He mentioned them planning a Halloween party for the end of next month and how he was going to be forced to dress up again. Yuta listened carefully. He liked listening to Taeyong talk about his job; it was a different environment than the hospital and it was somewhat refreshing to hear about it.

“How was your day?” Taeyong asked. “I’m sure you had a nice day off.”

Yuta hummed. “I slept and then I went to Jaehyun’s. Sicheng was napping so we had lunch. Jaehyun told me he and Doyoung are looking to adopt.”

“Oh? Good for them. We could recommend our agency.”

“I told him about it. He said they would have to look at the rest of their options,” he said. Taeyong nodded, murmuring _of course_ as he reached for another slice of pizza. “After that, I did the errands that had to be done. I went to the bank and the post office, and then to buy Sicheng some clothes. I went to the grocery store and you won’t believe who I saw.”

Taeyong looked up at him. “Who?”

Yuta stopped himself. He wondered if he should tell Taeyong or not. He knew Hyun and Taeyong had been best friends in college, but that changed somewhere in between their junior and senior year, so he wasn’t sure if Taeyong would even care. Maybe he would be upset at the mention of him. He quickly got rid of those thoughts. What did it matter? Taeyong wouldn’t mind. “I saw Hyun.”

“You saw him? I heard from Johnny he was back in town. How’s he doing?” Taeyong asked calmly. He looked at Yuta intently.

Taeyong wasn’t upset but he certainly wasn’t...excited. Yuta tried to read the mood and act accordingly. He shrugged, trying to play it off. “He’s doing okay. He thought Sicheng was cute. He congratulated us on our marriage.”

“You know, he’s got a boyfriend of his own now. They’re engaged. Johnny told me a while ago,” he replied. 

“Interesting,” Yuta said quietly. He furrowed his eyebrows. Hyun hadn’t mentioned having a boyfriend, much less being engaged, when they were talking earlier. In fact, he had even denied being in a relationship when Yuta asked him if he was in one.

“That guy hated my guts,” Taeyong said suddenly. “The day he found out we were dating, he was livid and he told Johnny that he knew we were going to break up before winter break. He really liked you.”

Yuta almost knocked over his glass of water. _Is that why they stopped being friends?_  Taeyong was still looking at him, waiting for an answer. Yuta wanted to hide.

“Really? We never dated,” Yuta said. He hoped he didn’t sound too nervous. “I didn’t really know him.”

Taeyong eyes narrowed. “You damn liar,” he accused. “I saw you two sneak off at parties. You were so star stuck. I might not have known you then but I knew Hyun. He was my Johnny before Johnny. He told me he liked you.”

He sat there in shock. After a minute, “Did he ever say anything else about me?” Yuta was suddenly curious. He never actually talked to Hyun when they were in school, the only times they were together was when they… Yuta stopped, already feeling himself blush.

“Are you seriously asking me that? You’re asking me, your _husband_ , if the guy you used to have _sex_ with ever said anything about you?” Taeyong didn’t sound amused at all. He was frowning and Yuta wanted to hit himself upside the head for asking such a dumb question. But then Taeyong smiled innocently. “He said plenty.”

Yuta almost choked. “What?”

“You know, I like you because your face is cute and you’re sweet and funny, how hot you are during sex is just a bonus.”

“Taeyong,” Yuta’s eyes widened, his cheeks suddenly burning. He nodded towards Sicheng, who was clueless. His eyes were glued to the laptop on the table, still watching intently. “Not in front of the baby.”

“He told me how you used to—”

“Taeyong.”

“And how you would make these—”

“Taeyong! Seriously, stop that! Sicheng is _right there_.”

Taeyong looked at Yuta and he felt tense under his gaze. The only sound was the sound of the show Sicheng was watching on the laptop. Yuta’s face was burning. He was embarrassed. Taeyong had heard all these things about him before they dated and it made him wonder how Taeyong saw him back then. Things he thought were private, in between him and Hyun, were told to who knows how many people. He was mortified at the thought of their other friends knowing these things about him.

Taeyong took a bite of his pizza slice. “You don’t need to be embarrassed, baby,” he told him calmly after a minute. “There’s no need to be embarrassed at all.”

Yuta felt like his face could not get any hotter or redder with humiliation. Taeyong called him that countless times a day, but in that one sentence, there was an underlying tone that they both knew meant something. Yuta felt his insides knot up, already knowing.

 

Sicheng had gone to sleep peacefully. Yuta read him a book and rocked him for a while before laying him in his crib and giving him a bottle. He whined for a few seconds but fell asleep after ten minutes. When he made sure Sicheng was fully asleep, he went back downstairs to clean up a bit before going to the bedroom.

Taeyong was on their bed when he walked in. All the lights were off except for the lamp on the bedside table on Taeyong’s side. He was on his phone, typing away, but set it aside as he walked in.

“Yuta,” he called, “Come here. I missed you.” Yuta rolled his eyes but went to the bed. As soon as he was close enough, Taeyong pulled him down onto the mattress and wrapped his arms around him, placing his head on Yuta’s chest and getting comfortable. Yuta automatically brought his hand up to run his fingers through Taeyong’s hair.  “I really missed doing this.”

After a moment, Yuta felt Taeyong’s fingers slip under his shirt. Yuta flicked his fingers at Taeyong’s cheek. “Stop that.” Taeyong’s fingertips made their way to the waistband of his shorts. “ _Taeyong_.”

Taeyong pulled his hand away and lifted his head from Yuta’s chest. He sat up and then looked down at him. “Why do you ruin all the fun?” he pouted.

Yuta laughed. He raised his arms and motioned with his hands. “Come here.”

Without a second to spare, Taeyong was on him. Yuta laughed, arms wrapped around Taeyong’s neck, as the older went to kiss his neck. The kisses were sloppy and they tickled Yuta. Taeyong laughed softly against Yuta’s neck, his breath tickling him even more. Taeyong had placed a leg on either side of Yuta and his hands were on either side of his body, holding him tightly. He pulled away from Yuta and sat up, straddling him. “You look so beautiful,” Taeyong told him.

Yuta rolled his eyes. “We’re married, you don’t have to say that stuff anymore.”

Taeyong grinned. His fingers wrapped around the hem of Yuta’s shirt and he pulled it up and over his head. “Even more beautiful,” Taeyong complimented, placing his hands on Yuta’s abdomen. “Do you work out?”

“ _Taeyong_ ,” Yuta said. He grabbed the hem of Taeyong’s own shirt and tugged on it, signaling him to take it off. Once it was off, Yuta grinned. “Now, get down here and finish what you started.”

Truthfully, with their jobs and Sicheng, Yuta and Taeyong got time to themselves on less nights than usual. The timing had to be right with them. Some days, Yuta would be rejected and on others, he would have to reject Taeyong, which was fine but sometimes Yuta _really_ needed it and he knew that Taeyong did too.

When Taeyong’s lips met Yuta’s collarbone, he inhaled sharply. The mood changed immediately the moment it happened. Taeyong’s lips stayed attached to his collarbone, the sound of him sucking on the skin sounding through their bedroom. One of Taeyong’s hands rested on his waist, fingertips pressing into his skin roughly. Yuta failed to hold back his small moans and breaths, already feeling himself starting to get hot. When Taeyong finally pulled his lips away, Yuta grabbed his face and pulled him up, pressing their lips together.

Taeyong’s hands were now touching every inch of skin they could. He made himself more comfortable, letting all his weight down as he shifted to get a more comfortable position. Yuta broke their kiss and huffed as he felt Taeyong grinding down on his pelvis.

He was doing it on purpose.

Yuta closed his eyes tightly. His fingers wrapped around the fabric of their bedsheets as he tried pushed his lower half up against Taeyong, wanting him to _just hurry_. His breaths were quick and shallow. Taeyong himself was breathing loudly and Yuta could feel his warm breath on his cheek.

“You know, I was so jealous,” Taeyong confessed breathlessly. “I liked you too and he knew that.”

“What?” Yuta asked, opening his eyes in surprise.

He stared at Taeyong. His eyes were closed and Yuta could see was trying to control his breathing. He could also see the way that Taeyong’s jaw clenched and unclenched as he spoke. It was a sight to see Taeyong angry. Yuta almost moaned.

“Hearing about you, how you looked and sounded, like this, made me angry,” he continued. Taeyong opened his eyes and looked right at him. He froze. Taeyong was looking at him differently. It made him dizzy. “I wanted to be the only one who could make you feel good like this.” Yuta closed his eyes and cried out in pleasure as Taeyong reached down under the waistband of Yuta’s shorts to touch him. “I wanted you to be mine and mine only, and he knew that.”

When Taeyong kissed him again, it felt different.

They had kissed hundreds, if not thousands of times, but this kiss was distinct. It was forceful, and almost upright filthy, yet _passionate_. Yuta felt his entire body burn. Taeyong was being aggressive. He stopped touching Yuta and instead, pinned Yuta’s arms to the bed. He rolled his hips, making Yuta feel desperate. Their moans were muffled and cut short as they kissed. Taeyong bit at his bottom lip harshly and Yuta bit his, just as hard. 

Taeyong pulled away, a single string of saliva connecting their lips. As soon as Taeyong let go of his wrists, Yuta reached up and grabbed a handful of Taeyong’s hair, pulling him back roughly. A cry of pain was elicited from Taeyong’s mouth. Just like that, the roles had been changed. Yuta felt goosebumps run down his body at the sound. He didn’t like to hurt Taeyong, but the way his face just twisted up, eyes falling shut and mouth open as he cried, made Yuta feel different.

Yuta pressed his lips onto Taeyong’s neck and alternated between sucking, licking, and gently biting on the skin, making his breath quicken. Taeyong whined as Yuta pulled on his hair to get a better angle.

Taeyong pushed himself down onto Yuta as he was biting on his skin and the sudden feeling made him bite a little harder. Taeyong exclaimed softly. “Yuta!”

He pulled his lips from Taeyong’s neck, trying to catch his breath. Yuta felt a sense of control, seeing what he had done. The area on Taeyong’s neck was already beginning to turn a light red.

“Were you disappointed?” Yuta asked, now breathless like Taeyong. “Did I disappoint you?”

“You never disappoint,” Taeyong told him as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. He sat up again, placing his hands on Yuta’s stomach.

Yuta placed his own hands on either side of Taeyong’s waist and gently massaged the pale skin. “You’re better, for the record.”

Taeyong scoffed. “Of course I am.”

“Was I the first guy you had sex with?”

He looked away, a shy smile appearing on his face. Only a few minutes ago, Taeyong was aggressive and in control, and now he was blushing pink. Yuta was truly amazed. “You could say that.”

“You clearly had no idea what you were doing the first time. It was obvious.” Yuta lied, kind of. Taeyong wasn’t especially good that first time and there was a lot of awkwardness for both of them, but he did surprise Yuta with a few moves that no other partner of his had used before. Of course, Yuta wouldn’t tell him that.

Taeyong frowned, taking obvious offense at the statement. “Hey!”

He used the moment to grab Taeyong’s waist and push him off. He fell back onto the mattress and Yuta quickly climbed on top of him, straddling him. He grinded down on Taeyong, making him moan lowly.

Yuta took a minute to admire the man under him. Taeyong’s pale skin was lit by the lamp on the bedside table, shadows and highlights showing the shape of his bare body. The marks on Taeyong’s neck were already turning a deep red, almost purple. His eyes shut and his swollen, bitten lips were open, panting as the pressure of Yuta’s weight pressed down onto him.

_Absolutely beautiful._

His next movements were done carefully, with precision, determination. Yuta felt the need to let Taeyong know that only he experienced this. Yuta’s lips and hands only knew Taeyong and his body. There was no other person besides Taeyong to Yuta.

Yuta’s lips touched every part of Taeyong, from his lips and all the way down to his navel, leaving several marks all over him as he took the skin under his lips. He ran his fingernails lightly over Taeyong’s skin, making him shudder underneath him. He teased Taeyong, tugging slowly at the pajama pants he was wearing before pulling them down in a swift movement.

He wrapped his fingers around him, making Taeyong groan and gasp. The moment Yuta pressed his lips on the head, Taeyong’s hands found Yuta’s hair and he pulled hard. Yuta winced slightly, distraught by the sudden pain for less than a second before returning his focus onto Taeyong.

The sound of Taeyong panting drove Yuta, pushed him to continue. Every moan and shaky breath that dripped from Taeyong’s mouth as Yuta mouthed at him was like music to his ears. He ran his tongue along him before taking him in, Taeyong only letting out the smallest of noises. 

“Yuta!” Taeyong groaned, pulling on his hair roughly as he took him in his mouth, as deep as he could. 

Yuta loved the sight of Taeyong being so... _disheveled_ and _vulnerable_ under Yuta. Taeyong’s face was now glistening with sweat. His eyes falling shut and mouth open wide, being vocal about how Yuta was making him feel. Yuta wouldn’t want to do this to any other person, and he wanted to make sure Taeyong knew that. 

Tonight would only be about Taeyong.

 

Taeyong kissed Yuta awake.

“Good morning,” he murmured, a sleepy smile on his face.

“Good morning,” Yuta replied, pressing a soft kiss to Taeyong’s forehead. “What time is it? Shouldn’t you be going to work?”

Taeyong cuddled up beside Yuta, wrapping his arms around him and placing his head on his chest. “I called in sick.”

“But you’re not?”

Quietly, Taeyong answered, “Yuta, I can’t walk.”

“I’m sorry,” Yuta said slowly, remembering what had happened. It almost made him want to repeat it right now. He looked at Taeyong, who had his eyes closed and was slightly pouting. It was the cutest thing Yuta had ever seen and he decided that laying in bed with Taeyong in his arms was more than enough.

Taeyong held him tighter. He sighed softly, his warm breath hitting Yuta’s chest. “I love you.”

“And I love you.”

They lay in bed without saying anything else and after a few minutes, Taeyong had fallen asleep again. Yuta reached for his phone, careful not to wake Taeyong. He opened his messages and looked at what was sent while he was sleeping.

 

> **From Taeil-hyung:**
> 
> _You’re coming in at 6pm today, yay! Missed you last night, it was hectic._

Yuta wrote back a text, asking just what had happened on his night off. He knew Taeil would take a while to answer, considering he had probably gotten out at work only two hours ago.

 

> **From Jae:**
> 
> _could you send me the number to your agency? also, taeyong’s dropping sicheng off tomorrow at 7???? no need for a babysitter today?_

After sending Jaehyun the number to the agency and telling him that he was going to be with Sicheng and then going to work when Taeyong came home, Yuta went to look at the last message. He didn’t recognize the number but he had been expecting a text from one of his coworkers so he assumed it was them.

 

> **From Unknown Number:**
> 
> _Yuta! It’s hyun, when are you free? Is this weekend fine? I want to see u..._

Yuta immediately closed the app. His heart was pounding in his chest as he looked at his phone’s the home screen. His wallpaper was a picture he had taken a few weeks ago. It was Taeyong and Sicheng at the park. After a moment, his phone turned off and he could see his reflection on the now black screen.

Taeyong cuddled closer to him, sighing in his sleep.

Who had given him his phone number? Yuta hadn’t. Hyun didn’t even ask for it, so where did he get it?

Yuta opened the messaging app and deleted the conversation from the list. He didn’t know what he was trying to do but Yuta wouldn’t fall for it. Not again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i've had this drafted for the LONGEST time and was too shy to post it heh i hope it's okay! next chapter will probably be up in a few days since i have it drafted as well, i just need to look over it. also,,, do i have to change the rating on this, it seems like this chapter was not family friendly... i wanted to show a little more of their relationship and how stuff works, ahem if u get me ahem, and so sicheng wasn't in the chapter as much but do not fret, he is gonna come back 1000x times cuter and a little bit older  
> (hyun is an oc, btw, so just imagine him as u want!)


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taeyong is just glad to be by Yuta's side. The future is bright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is a filler chapter if i've ever seen one. (also jungwoo shows up for like a second)

Perhaps Taeyong had bitten off more than he could chew.

The amount of paperwork that sat on his desk was enough to make him feel like crying. The company had taken on more projects, more than they could handle at the moment, and Taeyong, along with his team, had gotten a large bulk of it. He stared at the small desk calendar that sat in the corner of his desk. Several days were circled in bright red pen, indicating meetings and deadlines.

Fortunately for him, he wouldn’t have to worry about it until tomorrow.

Taeyong sighed as he put away the work he was doing. He collected his belongings, slipping his phone into his pocket along with his keys. He left his small office and locked his door.

“Mr. Lee?” a voice said softly from behind him.

He turned and found their newest hire looking at him timidly. “Oh, Jungwoo… how can I help you?”

The young man looked away from him. Taeyong raised a brow.

“Mr. Lee―”

Taeyong cleared his throat. “Please, call me Taeyong,” he said softly.

Jungwoo looked surprised, almost flustered. Taeyong could see his ears begin to redden. “O-okay,” he stuttered, “I, uh―I had a few questions regarding the, uh―”

“I am sorry, Jungwoo, but I would prefer not to discuss work-related things after five o’clock,” Taeyong interrupted. He gave the Jungwoo an apologetic look.

“Oh,” was all he said.

Taeyong sighed. “Unless it is an emergency?”

“No, no,” Jungwoo rushed, shaking his head. “It can wait. I will ask you tomorrow, during work hours.”

Taeyong felt a little guilty for not wanting to answer the kid’s questions but he was exhausted beyond belief and he wanted to head home as quickly as possible. Sicheng had gotten sick the night before and Yuta had taken the day off to care for him. Taeyong wanted to be with them.

“Well, if that’s all, I’ll be leaving now. Have a good night, Jungwoo,” Taeyong said, giving Jungwoo a nod of his head.

As he began to walk away, he felt the younger man grab his arm. “I actually have one more question, not work-related, if that’s alright.”

Taeyong turned. He looked down at where Jungwoo’s fingers were wrapped around his forearm. Almost immediately, Jungwoo let him go. Taeyong looked up.

“I was wondering,” Jungwoo started, “if you, if―maybe, you wanted to eat dinner?” Taeyong blinked. Jungwoo’s face had reddened. “With me?”

Was Jungwoo asking him out?

“Jungwoo,” Taeyong started. “I would love to get dinner with you, but not tonight.” Taeyong needed to casually mention the fact that he was actually married and had a son before Jungwoo got the wrong idea. Before Jungwoo could answer, Taeyong spoke again. “I need to pick up some medicine for my son and my husband is expecting me to make dinner tonight.”

Jungwoo’s face fell slowly as he processed the information. Confusion. Realization. And then complete embarrassment. “Oh!” he exclaimed softly. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright,” Taeyong told him, giving him his most apologetic smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Jungwoo bid him a very quiet goodbye and Taeyong left the office.

As Taeyong drove home, he thought about it. It was amusing really. Yuta would find it amusing. Taeyong liked to think that he was attractive, but in all honesty, people didn’t come up to him with the hopes of taking him out. Out of the two of them, Yuta was the one that was mostly approached by both males and females. At first, it had made Taeyong jealous and a little annoyed, but he had grown used to people coming up to them and asking for Yuta’s number. Yuta sometimes teased Taeyong for the lack of admirers he received, and of course, the one time that someone came up to Taeyong to ask him out, Yuta wasn’t there.

But, as corny as it sounded, Taeyong didn’t need anyone else besides Yuta. In fact, Taeyong would go as to say that he appreciated not having any admirers―not that he would ever tell Yuta that.

By the time he arrived home, the sun was almost gone behind the tall buildings of the city. Taeyong grabbed the small bag with the medicine before he locked the car and went inside.

He could hear the television playing some show in the living room and he could hear Yuta talking to Sicheng in the kitchen. Taeyong took off his shoes and set his keys aside before walking into the kitchen.

“I’m home,” he announced.

Yuta turned to look at him from where he was sitting. A chair from the dining table was pulled up to the high chair, where Sicheng was sitting. There was a small bowl on the tray. Yuta was holding some wipes in his hands, no doubt trying to clean Sicheng off. Yuta smiled softly. “Hi.”

“Hi,” Taeyong replied. He made his way over to Yuta and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. Sicheng made a kissy face up at them and Taeyong smiled, reaching down to pull him out of his high chair. “Can I get a kiss?”

He made a kissy face and Sicheng happily kissed Taeyong on the cheek. Whatever Sicheng had been eating was now smeared all over Taeyong’s cheek. Yuta laughed and went to get Sicheng out of Taeyong’s arms, sitting him on his lap.

“How is my baby feeling?” Taeyong asked, watching as Yuta cleaned Sicheng’s hands and face.

“I’m not sure which one you’re talking about but the answer is the same,” Yuta said. “We’re both tired.”

Taeyong laughed. “I’ll clean up. You can put him to bed,” he murmured. “Have you eaten?”

“Not yet,” Yuta answered, getting up from his seat. “We can get take out if you don’t want to cook.”

“I’ll make us something quick, don’t worry.”

Yuta left the kitchen and disappeared upstairs. Taeyong quickly began pulling out ingredients to make ramen. It wasn’t much but it would do for tonight. It would be ready by the time Sicheng fell asleep and Yuta came downstairs.

As he prepared their simple dinner, Taeyong thought about their plans for the rest of the week. Sicheng was looking better, but Yuta would most likely take tomorrow off to make sure he fully recovered. He knew that Yuta fussed over Sicheng a lot and he would be restless at work if Sicheng was still sick. Of course, Taeyong would go to work. It was only Tuesday, and the fact made Taeyong feel even more exhausted.

Friday would be fun. Taeyong always left work a little earlier on Friday and was able to enjoy a little bonding time with Sicheng before Yuta got home from work. Taeyong appreciated the time alone with Sicheng. It gave him time to wind down from the stressful work week and allowed him to see the new things that Sicheng had learned over the course of the week.

Then Saturday. Saturday would be interesting, Taeyong thought. They had made an appointment with a realtor to see a house. It was exciting and nerve-wracking all at once.

Yuta and Taeyong had moved into their house a few months after Yuta graduated almost five years ago. It was a tiny, two-story house that worked well for them at the time. Their home had two bedrooms―Yuta and Taeyong’s room and Sicheng’s room―but Sicheng’s bedroom was far too small for their liking. It might work for now, but Sicheng would quickly grow out of it.

Their decision to move was made fairly easy. Taeyong had always wanted to buy a nice house that his children could grow up in and Yuta wanted to leave the outer city and move a little farther out, where it was nicer and quieter. Really, they shared the same sentiment, both of them family men at heart.

As Taeyong finished making their ramen, he imagined living in the perfect house for them and their children.

* * *

“Children?” Yuta questioned.

“Yes,” Taeyong replied. He finished the last of the noodles in his bowl and went to put it in the sink. “Children.”

“I want a girl,” Yuta said firmly.

Taeyong smiled as he washed his hands. He had expressed his thoughts to Yuta once he had come back down and they had talked about their possible future as they ate. They hadn’t bothered to sit at the dining table, instead opting to stand around the kitchen island and slurp on their noodles like they used to do when the first moved in and didn’t have a dining table at all.

“We’ll have a girl,” Taeyong confirmed.

Yuta laughed and Taeyong felt himself go soft. “And I want a dog.”

“We’ll have a dog,” Taeyong agreed.

Yuta smiled at him. “Our future is looking bright,” he said as he finished off his ramen.

“As long as you’re in it,” Taeyong said. Before Yuta could comment on his reply, Taeyong reached for his hand. “Let’s watch a movie. It’s been a while since we had a movie night.”

Yuta gave him a look but then nodded. “Fair enough. I’ll pick the movie and you can wash this bowl!”

Yuta left the kitchen right after, leaving Taeyong with no choice but to wash the bowl.

Before going into the living room, Taeyong put some popcorn in the microwave and prepared some drinks. He carefully carried the items to the living room where Yuta was on Netflix, looking for a movie.

They both got situated on the couch, the opening scene of a superhero movie playing on the television. Taeyong took up the entire couch, his head on Yuta’s lap. Yuta ran his fingers through his hair.

“Are you tired?” Yuta asked after about twenty minutes of silently watching the movie.

“Exhausted,” Taeyong replied quietly.

Yuta hummed. “You’ve been working more these days.”

“It’s been more hectic than usual.” Taeyong turned his body so he was laying flat on the couch. He looked at Yuta, the movie forgotten. Yuta looked down at him. “I got asked out today,” Taeyong said, remembering the incident with Jungwoo.

“Oh?” Yuta’s eyes widened a little, surprised.

“One of the new employees asked me if I wanted to get dinner with him.”

“Was he cute?” Yuta asked. “If he was, I would’ve said yes. If he was asking you, that means he would’ve paid. Did you pass up a free dinner?”

Taeyong laughed. “He was okay. If I said yes, I wouldn’t be here right now.”

“In that case, I’m glad you politely rejected him and told him you were married with a kid?”

Taeyong nodded and Yuta grinned.

They both went back to watching the movie. There was some commenting on certain things that happened but it was mostly both of them enjoying the silence as they watched the movie. It wasn’t interesting but Taeyong made himself stay awake. Yuta sighed as the end credits began to play.

“That was nice,” he said.

Taeyong sat up and stretched. “It was.”

Taeyong decided that he enjoyed it, regardless of how uninterested he was in the actual film. It was nice to just be with Yuta and not have to worry about anything.

He remembered their movie nights from when they were first dating. They were so awkward back then. Taeyong had always felt the need to talk through the movie, commenting on everything that happened, and Yuta had to habit of always be getting up to get more snacks even if there was enough popcorn and drinks to last two entire movies. Now, they could be silent the entire movie, without getting up from their spots on the couch, and feel comfortable.

“We should head up to bed,” Yuta said, getting up from his spot on the couch. He turned off the television and fixed the pillows on the couch. He reached out and Taeyong took his hand.

Hand in hand, they walked up the stairs. Yuta dropped Taeyong’s hand as soon as they reached their bedroom and made his way to the bathroom. Taeyong went to their closet and pulled out some old clothes, changing right there before walking into the bathroom. Yuta was washing his face. Taeyong maneuvered around him, reaching for his toothbrush and toothpaste. It was times like this that Taeyong was glad they had a double sink.

“ _Fuck_ , this went in my eye,” Yuta whined, going to rinse out his eye.

Taeyong rolled his eyes as he brushed his teeth. “You have to be careful,” he said through a mouthful of toothpaste. “Your eye is going to be red now.”

Yuta ignored him and continued to rinse his eye out. Taeyong finished brushing his teeth and then washed his face with his own cleanser, going through his little night routine fairly quickly. Once he was done, Yuta was already in their bed. The bedroom lights were off, the only light on being the lamp on the nightstand on Taeyong’s side of the bed.

Taeyong felt his body thank him as he laid down. He put his phone on its charger and sighed happily, relieved to be in bed. Yuta scooted closer to him.

“You should go to sleep,” he told him. “I’m not going to work tomorrow, but you are. You need to get up early.”

“It’s alright if I stay up a little longer,” Taeyong murmured, pulling Yuta into his arms. Yuta settled his head on Taeyong’s chest. “Let’s just relax a little.”

“Okay,” Yuta murmured. “How was your day?”

“Stressful,” Taeyong frowned. “We have all these projects to complete. And you already know that our team got most of them.”

Yuta softly traced circles on Taeyong’s abdomen. “Your team is the best one in the entire company. I know you guys will be able to finish them all on time and very well. Your hard work will pay off, Tae. You did well today and you will do well tomorrow.”

Taeyong felt himself relax at hearing Yuta’s words. “That’s all I needed to hear,” he whispered. He brought a hand up and ran his fingers through Yuta’s hair. Yuta seemed to cuddle closer as he did so. “How was your day?”

“Sicheng cried for half of it, and I almost joined him. But he calmed down after lunch, a bath, and a nap. His fever from this morning went down. He seems better but we’ll see how he wakes up tomorrow.”

“His birthday is coming up. It’s next month.”

Yuta sighed. “We’ll have to start planning that soon. What are we going to do?”

“We’ll worry about it later. We have time. Right now… let’s just stay like this.”

Yuta hummed in agreement.

After some time, Taeyong could tell Yuta had fallen asleep. His own eyes were beginning to close. He turned off the lamp and let himself fall asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello everyone i am back after almost a year with a new username and a random chapter, please forgive me. shoot, i don't know if anyone will even read this fic anymore.  
> to be honest, i struggled a lot the past year with writer's block, school, and personal problems that made me unable to do many things. fortunately, i have finished school (i graduated high school!) and i am in a better place mentally and physically. also, i have found a newfound motivation to continue this story. thank you for all of the kudos and feedback you have given me thus far. i hope to update more frequently while i'm on summer break and i hope to come back with better writing in the future.  
> also, i have started writing some backstory to this (how taeyong and yuta met, started dating, etc.) and i wanted to know if anyone would be interested in reading that. i would most likely post it as a really long one-shot type of thing! please let me know.  
> thank you again! :D


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